Her Little Dragon
by BewitchingWitch
Summary: After her mother's death, everything seems to be going down hill and the only light in her life is Her Little Dragon. Suddenly, she is chucked in a new life with brothers and sisters. Not to mention a fiance. But she will fight to keep her past a secret.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Nothing but this plot belongs to me.  
  
A/N: Please read and review.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The War was over, it was not much of a war actually. Harry Potter and his gang had simply entered Lord Voldemort's private chambers and hit him with the killing curse. Three seventh year's and one sixth year's killing curse, done all at once, had done the trick.  
  
Even though the Wizarding War was over. There were still many wars that people, of all ages, had to face. Take Hermione Granger, for instance. She had played a large part of Voldemort's death but she still had her own war to face. Her father.   
  
Her parents had gotten a divorce in her third year, it was partially why she was so stressed and uptight. They had no idea that Hermione's mother was pregnant when the divorce papers were signed, and so, Hermione's mother had the baby alone. Father unaware of his own child.   
  
She sat upright on her tattered matress and took a pen knife out from her bed side drawer. The blade slowly came out from hiding, making its way to her left wrist. Despite the darkness, she could see the metal blade, with help from the light that shone through the crack in her wall. She finally found a spot which was not already scarred. Placing the blunt tip of the shiny blade on her skin, she slowly slit it. Digging deep into her flesh,savouring every moment of pain she inflicted upon herself. She watched the crimson liquid slide down her forearm, then to her elbow and then dripping onto her already ensanguined sheets. It was bliss. All the pain, regret and dirt flowing out of her veins.   
  
The pain the wounds on her back inflicted on her were close to unbearable. The whipping she received from her father earlier were inhuman. As she leaned back onto her matress, she felt blood seeping through her shirt.  
  
The Wizarding World was her escape. Her escape from an alchohal addict whom she called her father.   
  
Her mother was dead. Robbed, shot and left to bleed in a middle of London. It happened late at night when she was on the way home from work and her four-year-old sister, Leigha, was left in the care of her seventeen-year-old sister. There was a court case after the murder, Hermione had heard, which Hermione's neighbour took Leigha to. Their father had won custody over the two girls.  
  
Her father obviously felt guilty about her mother and had taken to drinking and drugs. All this happened when Hermione was at camp. When she came back, her father had become abusive, blaming her mother's death on her. Telling her that if maybe she was there, she would be able to stop it from happening. Hermione had personally made sure he either took no notice of Leigha or distract him from her, so as to protect her by taking all the blows he had sent towards the girl.   
  
Her stomache growled and she was in pain constantly. She would feel her stomache acids eating at her walls. She hardly ate. Her father never let her eat anything but a piece of stale bread a day. She couldn't steal because her father monitored the frige. She had become but skin and bone. Everything she had, she gave to Leigha, every drop of blood she shad, was for Leigha but Leigha was her reason. Her reason of living. If not for Leigha, she would have killed herself a long time ago.  
  
During the days, she would be with Leigha and during the nights, she and Leigha would take a trip down town to a pub her friend's father owned and sell herself off as a slut. A dancer, that is, while Leigha slept peacefully in the dressing rooms. Of course, she would have to pay for her disappearance but it was how she had to survive.   
  
She stared at her naked self in the cracked mirror, the one which her father threw her against every day she was home since the end of 5th year. She hoped, wished to find a figure or a vision worth looking at. She did not. She opened her mouth to speak to herself. Nothing but a croak came out. Nowadays, she hardly spoke. There was no one else to speak to but Leigha. Ron and Harry were to pre-occupied with their girlfriends, Ginny and Lavender. Her mother was dead. Her father was hardly at home, when he was, he would only talk with his fist and legs. Other than those people, she had hardly any other people to talk to, besides herself and Leigha that is.  
  
It was not as if she felt like talking anyway. She could always send a letter to Viktor. If he was not with his girlfriend that is. He had two timed Hermione with a slut. She remembered when she tried to ask him for help.   
  
Dear Vikor,  
  
Hi, it's me. Hermione. I was just thinking on accepting that offer about going to stay at your place this summer. It's it fine if you come and pick my little sister and I up asap?  
  
Love always,  
  
Hermione  
  
Did he not see it as a cry for help?  
  
The next day, she received his reply.  
  
Hermione,  
  
Sorry but I have a friend staying at my place this summer. I cannot come and pick you up. Oh and I don't think this relationship is going anywhere. I think it would be better if we just remained friends. That friend that is staying at my place is my girlfriend.  
  
Viktor  
  
Friends? Not if she could help it. How could he?   
  
She didn't reply to that letter. She was trapped in the hell-hole and no one was here to save her. She didn't cry over this though. She was too hurt. That summer, her whole world collapsed.   
  
The world that she had created in 15 years had simply collapsed in a matter of 3 months. She could not bring herself to tell anyone about her abusive father. She was afraid. She had a reputation to mantain. She was the brave, smart, witty Gryfindor. Right?   
  
She went back to school, putting on a perfect facade. She was a wonderful actress, that's how she did it. Never cried, slowly slipping into depression.   
  
She changed into black pants and a long-sleeved top, they were slightly big for her, they were her mother's. She had dyed all the clothes that her mother had left for her black. It was her preferred choice.  
  
Hermione had figured out how to sneak Leigha into school without being caught. Leigha, of course, was a very smart toddler, who understood exactly what ' keep quite and stay under the cloak ' meant. Hermione had stolen a huge invisibilty coat from a magical shop in Hogsmeade and used it to hide Leigha. Leigha never cried at night, so it was easy but she had to listen to a lullaby before going to sleep. It was quite easy for Hermione, since she was a prefect, she had a prefect headquarters which she shared with twelve other girls.   
  
How was it possible for a teenage girl to withstand all this without going mental?   
  
Hermione had choosen drinking and music as her stress relievers. Come on, if her father had cartons and cartons of beer which he would finish in but a week.What was wrong with going to a pub and getting drunk?  
  
She had a large CD collection at home, most of them were stolen. How else was she to get those CDs?   
  
Hermione would go to a CD shop, grab a few CDs and run. Somehow the cops didn't manage to catch her. She would run and jump over shrubs and fences. Occasionally run through the thick forest, to escape. It was amazing, her speed and all but she never noticed.  
  
Whenever she was thirsty, she would drink. When she was stressed, she would drink. Even when she was at Hogwarts, she would drink. She'd intoxicate herself until darkness would overcome her. No one cared, no one bothered. They all thought Miss Perfect would never go into depression. How wrong she proved them. Her father's loud footsteps would wake her up and she would be punished, for taking his beer or for nothing, he never gave her an reason. She had not been influenced by her father though, at camp, she had simply had the best tasting fruit punch. Spiked with alchohal, of course.   
  
All this, had made her become a very sickly child. She was illergic to some potions like the healing potion she had tried to cure her cuts and bruises with, she vomited out whatever she had eaten for a week. She was athsmatic, she wouldn't be able to breathe properly in the middle of class. She had gastric, something that was expected and she was illergic to seafood, at anytime, she would be able to vomit just by thinking of something disgusting.  
  
She lay face front on her blood-stained sheets. Uneasily, she closed her eyes. She had never gotten decent sleep since she came back from Hogwarts, three weeks ago. Her father's figure clouded her mind, when she was sleeping or bathing, whenever, wherever. It fustrated her how no one knew about this. Leigha never saw the pain she had gone through for her because Hermione would hide her whenever she heard loud 'thumping' noises. Leigha was already fast asleep. Her peaceful features relaxed Hermione. No harm was done to her. " Happy Birthday, My Little Dragon, " she mumbled into Leigha's ear before falling into a light slumber. 


	2. 2

Chapter 2  
  
The touch of the cold, rough, rock floor awoke her. She was on the floor of a large Castle-like Manor, Hermione could tell. The ancient paintings and tapestries were sinister. Somehow, a gust of wind found itself rushing past Hermione. She shivered.  
  
' Leigha?! Where's Leigha!?' panic grew inside her. She was alone with that bastard!  
  
Those thoughts soon faded when Hermione heard a snore. She whirled around to face a painting. It was a portrait. A family, to be exact. It was a portrait of a dark haired man, his wife and six young children, two of which were babies, twins. One of them in its mother's arms, the other in its father's. The children's hair were alternate colours, the tallest one had dark hair, the second one had light brown hair and so on. Of the six children, the tallest two were boys and then came a girl, the last two were boys. The babies, Hermione could not make out whether it was a girl or a boy. They were all snoring gently in their sleep.  
  
She examined the portrait carefully, taking note of the artists flaws, there were hardly any though. The painting was perfect. Something she had alwaysed wished for. A family. A home. What she had was a house. Not a home. A home was somewhere where people loved you and treated you like a human, not an unclean animal.   
  
That man, the father, the one holding the baby, seemed ever so familar. She had seen him before. She racked her mind for names but to no avail. Was it possible that it was Voldemort himself?' No, it can't be,' she thought to herself.   
  
She thought of her neighbours then Hogwarts students. No, none of them. Why she was so eager to find out who this person was, she did not know. She thought of the Professors next. Ruling out all the female professors, even though that man had shoulder length hair, she went on to the male professors. Which Professor was married?   
  
She seriously did not know.  
  
She went back to the Professors. Professor Flitwick, no. Professor Binns, no. Professor Dumbledore, no. Professor Snape, " Oh my God," she whispered to herself.   
  
Hermione had to get out of there. She was in Professor Snape's house! How she got there, she had no idea. " Oh no. Oh no. Oh no," she muttered to herself, over and over again. Trying to think of ways to get out of there. She was frantic. She was trespassing, it was not like she never trespassed before but this was too extreme. Snape was on the light side but it did not stop him from being sinister.   
  
She walked quickly down the hallway. ' Now would be a good time to have a drink or two,' she thought as she hurrid towards the light. Her body longed for alchohal, it was starting to ache. The hallway was getting brighter as she walked further into it. She was so determined of getting out, she was not aware of the dinning room she almost walked past. She was about to step out of the shadows when realisation finally hit her. She gasped and quickly pulled her leg back into the shadows.   
  
Apparently, someone heard her. The sound of a chair sliding against the floor was heard. She was just about to turn and run when- ' BOOM', she crashed into a house-elf carrying a tray of red wine. She landed with a loud ' thump ' on her back. She felt her wounds start to bleed again. Her eyes were shut tightly, she was trying not to make anymore noise but she was sure the people of the house had already discovered her, thanks to the house-elves unstoppable apologies. " It's OK, really. It's alright," she hissed at the terrified house-elf. Hurried footsteps were approaching her, she scrambled to her feet and backed up against the wall. It sounded like an army of men coming to execute her. Hermione held her breath and hid in the shadows. She was a little too late though, a teenage girl screamed.  
  
" There it is! " her voice filled the whole hallway. " In the shadows! The shadows!" she screamed again, as five other men turned towards her. She gasped.  
  
Four men, the ones from the portrait, and another, white silver-blond hair, which reminded Hermione of Draco Malfoy, walked cautiously towards her. Leaving two young ladies behind, one of which was holding a baby. Their fiery eyes full of rage, curiousity and caution. The Draco Malfoy look-alike made her feel dirty. The same effect Malfoy, himself had on her. She crossed her arms so that her hands were at her forearms and she squeezed it. She pinched it so hard, it felt like her skin was going to rip off.   
  
She moved further into the shadows, not making any noise. They followed her, slowly making their way, as if they were skilled ninjas. Suddenly, she hit against something. Something flat, like a wall but it was not as hard. A baby's wail filled the hallway. Hermione gasped, turning around to see what it was, she tripped over her own feet, just as she closed her eyes to prepare for the pain that was to come, she felt a strong pair of hands pull her back up. She gasped again, freeing herself from that person's hold, trying to find and escape. Unfortunately for Hermione, the other four men had already surrounded her. The two young ladies were approaching her as well. She knew she was trapped. She turned around to see what it was that frightened the hell out of her. It was a portrait of a baby in the arms of its mother. The same people she saw in the family portrait. The mother was now trying to hush the baby, singing it a melody. The lady's voice, so pleasant, it sounded ever so familiar. Her breath was starting to get heavy...  
  
The babies were crying, it was the middle of the night. A lady and her husband rushed into the room, to see to their childrens needs.   
  
" It's alright, Severus," the brown-haired lady told the man.  
  
" Are you sure?" the man asked back.  
  
" Positive, darling. I can manage," the lady replied. He gave her a peck on the lips and retreated to bed.  
  
" Hush Bye Bye  
  
Don't you cry  
  
Go to sleepy little Baby  
  
When you wake you shall have  
  
All the pretty little horses.  
  
Hush Bye Bye  
  
Don't you cry  
  
Go to sleepy little Baby  
  
When you wake you shall have  
  
All the pretty little horses.  
  
Blacks, and bays, dapples, and grays  
  
All the pretty little horses  
  
Blacks, and bays, dapples, and grays  
  
Coach and six a little horses  
  
Hush bye bye. Don't you cry  
  
Go to sleepy little baby  
  
When you wake you have sweet cake  
  
And all the pretty little horses  
  
A brown, and gray, black, and bay  
  
And a coach and six, little horses  
  
A black, and bay, brown, and gray  
  
And a coach and six, little horses.  
  
Hush you bye, don't you cry  
  
Oh, you pretty little baby  
  
Go to sleepy little baby  
  
Oh you pretty little baby," she sang to the baby, who was now fast asleep.  
  
The baby had now quietened down and Hermione stopped her heavy breathing. That scene, it was so familiar. She stared at the others who were surrounding her, wide-eyed. What had just happened?   
  
Just then, the tallest of the lot, excluding the sliver-blond haired one, stepped up to her. " Remove yourself from the shadows and step into the light, face us," he said angrily.  
  
She did not want to anger him any further, so in much hesistation, she stepped into the light. The girls gasped as if in shock. While the men just stood, eyes pounding their way through her skin. They all eyed her suspiciously.   
  
" Erm," Hermione squeeked, she had not really expected her voice to come out like that. They waited for her to speak somemore but she said nothing. " Well, what have you got to say for yourself," the second tallest one said, taking a large step towards her, grasping her neck. Hermione gasped and struggled but his grip was too tight. What was she to do now?   
  
Her eyes searched frantically around the room, trying to find someone who would try to help her but they were digusted and cold towards her. Come to think of it, she did not mind dying. ' But what about Leigha?,' she thought and she carried on fighting, kicking, scratching and struggling but he was far to strong for her.  
  
" Put her down, please," the older of the two ladies said, calmly.  
  
" Why should I? How can this be her? She's dead," the man replied.  
  
" Didn't you just hear her? Can't you see her? She looks just like her!" she exclaimed. The Draco Malfoy look-alike then put his arms around her to calm her down. Hermione heard all this with her eyes closed, not even bothering to draw breath. She could feel his grasp loosen and she fell to the ground with a ' thump'.  
  
Just then, a short, round lady came in, followed by Professor Snape. " EEEK!" the plump lady screeched upon seeing Hermione on the floor. Hermione opened her eyes just in time to see this. " Professor! I really didn't mean to show up here. Seriously! I just...I just...a-appeared here. First I was at home and then now I'm here," Hermione quickly blurted out to him before he could say anything.   
  
" It is her, then," the short lady suddenly said, eyes gleamming with happiness.  
  
" It is....," Snape replied, looking at Hermione.  
  
" Sorry Professor but may I know what's going on? " she asked. It was not like she wanted to go home or anything, please no, she just wanted to know what was going on. Hermione's back still stung and she was tempted to sit down as soon as possible.  
  
" Daddy? Is it really her? Well, it is our birthday and she looks exactly like Mummy and she is obviously magical folk because she calls you ' Professor'," the teenage girl asked. Hermione thought it was funny, she was just like her, answering her own questions. ' Snape has a family? What's going on?!?' she thought.   
  
" Er, Miss Granger, I suggest you join us in the living, where we will talk," he said, making his way to the living room, the rest followed closely behind. Hermione followed, puzzled.   
  
The entered the ' living', the black velvet sofa's and the dim light made it feel ' home-y'. They all took their seats infront of the fireplace, some on the sofas', some on the floor. There were not enough seat's for all. Hermione was left standing. The teenage girl sat on the floor,next to her father, her arms resting on his lap and her head resting on her arms. The older lady was sitting comfortably, leaning against the silvery-blond man's chest on one of the sofas'. The baby's cot was just next to it. The others were either on the sofas' or on the floor. They all looked at Hermione.  
  
" Miss Granger," Professor Snape started. " I believe I should tell you why you are here," he continued. " Please do not interrupt until I am finished, you can ask all your quesitons then," he said. Hermione nodded, silently.   
  
" Fifteen years ago, a baby girl was taken from this household. No one knew how or why but there was a note that came with that girl's disappearance. It said that if the girl did not return on her birthday by the time she was sixteen, you could consider her dead." he told her as he passed her the note.   
  
"That girl was, infact, my daughter. Every year, until my wife died, which was 8 years ago, we would wait. On hers and her sisters birthday we would wait until midnight as well as hold her party for Nikki over there," he said pointing to the teenage girl.  
  
"The whole family would gather and wait, but she never came. My wife, Emmaleigh, only wished for her to return before her sixteenth birthday but she did not make it until then. After her death, we gave up. Miss Granger, you are my daughter," Professore Snape said.   
  
Hermione was speechless. She was the daughter of Severus and Emmaleigh Snape. The daughter of Hogwart's Most Feared Teacher, after Proffesor Umbridge, of course. Did this mean that she would have to move out of the house, move away from her 'father'?   
  
What was she supposed to do?  
  
The whole audience was looking at her, waiting for her reaction.   
  
" Really?" she squeaked. Severus Snape nodded his head.  
  
" What am I going to do now?" she asked.  
  
" Well, you can either live here or go back to that house. I'd like it if you stayed here though," he said, giving her a sad smile.  
  
She thought about it. She definately did not want to go back there.   
  
" Could I stay here?" she asked, softly.   
  
" Of course," he replied, his face visibly brightened. " Now, we have to discuss your name, you see, you were registered twice in the Wizarding World. Once as your real name and the other as Hermione Granger," he told her. " Which one would you choose?" he asked.  
  
" What's my real name?" she asked, brows starting to furrow.  
  
" Fayre Agatha Emmalynn Noelle Giselle Ebony Snape," he told her. How in the world was he able to memorise all those names?  
  
" Oh," she said stupidly. " I think I'll pick that one but it will take time for me to get used to that name though, er, I suggest you call me Mya or Mione, or something like that," she continued.  
  
" Alright then," Snape said, smiling warmly at her. This was just to unreal. Professor Snape smiling?  
  
She felt akward, she was the only one standing in that room. And it was just like he was reading her mind. " Please sit down, Mya " the oldest looking one said. She sat. Her legs weren't sore, she had ran from her 'father' many times, through the Granger-house. She had become unbelievably fast somehow. She thought of all the training.   
  
" Erm...who are all of them?" she asked him, looking around. She knew it sounded rude but how else was she to ask?   
  
The others stood up.  
  
" This is Nicola Adreanne Loreal Arwen Emmaleigha Goewin Snape, your twin," he told her, pointing to the teenage girl who smiled at her.   
  
" I have a twin?" she said looking at the pretty girl. She was indeed beautiful, Hermione envied her. ' Why do I have to be the ugly duckling?,' she thought.  
  
" That is Lisel Mirabelle Blythe Ellamanda Alejandria Ethele Snape-Malfoy, your older sister by 6 years," he said, pointing to the lady wrapped around her husband's arms. She was very elegant as well.   
  
" That is Zacharias Malfoy and his son, my grandson, Maddox Malfoy, and yes, he is Draco's brother" he told her pointing to the silvery-blond haired man and the baby in the cot.  
  
" This is my eldest son, your brother, Artos," he said, beaming proudly at the tallest man. Artos came around to Hermione, and put is hand on her shoulder in a protective manner. It made her feel safer, as if she was really welcomed to this family. She just hoped he didn't touch her wounds.   
  
" This is your second brother, Medraut," he told her, once again, beaming proudly.   
  
" These are your other two brothers, Eli and Lleu," he said, pointing to each of them.   
  
" Oh," she said, trying her best to remember their names. She had so many siblings and she expected to get along with all of them. They were not going to know about her other life. No, none of them were going to. Not even Harry and Ron. No.   
  
" Mya, there is something more to all this...you aren't seventeen. You're sixteen infact. Apparently, the Headmaster wanted to put you in a year early, the Grangers thinking you were a year older than your actual age and all," he told her, his face showing void of expression. How was he able to do that?  
  
" Oh, it's fine. No wonder I didn't get my perio-," she stopped when she realised what she was going to say. Her audience chuckled.  
  
" It's quite alright, Mya. Nikki complains about it all the time," Eli told her, rubbing his temples.  
  
" Hey!," Nicola protested.  
  
So this is how it all started.  
  
No one knew cold Professor Snape had a family. Never knew he could love. She had so many questions running through her head but she decided to leave it for the next day.  
  
They stood up and Fayre followed. Severus walked over to her. " My dear daughter, you have finally come back," he whispered into her ear as he hugged her. This made Hermione feel somewhat welcomed, conforted.   
  
Artos showed her to the guest room, she was to sleep there until her wing was fixed. It was a large room, her things had been brought here as well. She found her wand next to her bed. " Goodnight, sis ," Artos told her before leaving the room.  
  
Taking of her blood-stained shirt, she went to take a warm bath. Blood stained the water, her raw wounds had not healed yet. She made another promise to herself : She would not allow anyone to find out what happened to her at 'home' but now, she needed to get Leigha out of the hell-hole, if it was the last thing she did.  
  
Changing into another black ensemble she sneaked out of the window, hoping to find the main gates. Ah! She saw it once she was down in the gardens, it was about five hundred metres away. She broke into a run, eager to get Leigha back. She looked at her wristwatch, eleven forty-five, she had two hours to get there and get Leigha out before that ass came back.   
  
She ran down the muggle street after running out of Diagon Alley, wandless. It was very dangerous for a teenage lass to be running out at this time of night but Hermione had done more dangerous stunts that this one. She had been hurt more than other teenage girls her age. She had been raped once, when her father's friend came over for some drinks and got carried away. The most hurtful part was that her father just watched and laughed as his friend carried on with the assult. After that, her father just punched her stomache trying to make sure she didn't get pregnant. The worst part was, no one knew about this. No one that care, to be precise. She was scared for life.   
  
Finally, she reached the house. She climbed up the window and into her small room. There she was, Leigha was there still sleeping. Everything was in place.   
  
" Wake up My little Dragon...," Hermione whispered into her ear.   
  
" Hm...?" was the reply Hermione got from that small being.  
  
" Wake up...we're moving to a nice house," Hermione continued.   
  
" Ok," Leigha replied, rubbing her eyes and falling back to sleep. She was still very tired. It wasn't healthy for a four-year-old girl to be up this late. Hermione packed her things, wand and CDs and all. Then she heard a thumping sound coming up the stairs. ' Shit!' she thought, her fath- Granger was home. She quickened her pace and with her duffle bag and Leigha in her arms, she jumped down the window and ran.   
  
Under the dark sky, moonlight being their only source of light, they escaped.  
  
She reached the Snape-manor, it was incredibly big. She followed the same route she took out, to enter her room and lightly placed Leigha on her king-sized bed. She washed up and then she smiled, a genuine one. One that she had not shown since the summer before at camp. There was a new life for her and even though it was with Professor Snape, she felt as if she was brought back to life. For the first time in two months, she felt into a peaceful sleep. No more dreams about her father's friends coming to rape her in the middle of the night. No more whippings and no more bloodshed. It was all going to end tonight. But there was a bad side in all of this, her secret. She would fight to keep it. 


	3. 3

A/N: I'm going to answer some of your questions.  
  
I'm sorry, I put it under the wrong genres, I've changed it.   
  
How did she end up there? Well, basically, because this is a magical world and in a world like that, things happen. She was mysteriously taken and misteriously   
  
brought back.   
  
' Knock!' ' Knock!' ' Knock!'  
  
The sound of the knocking woke Hermione, or rather Fayre, up. Luckily, she had remembered to lock the door the night before, or s Her stomache was uneasy, it felt like this bug creeping up her stomache. Nevertheless, she got out of bed with a " COMING!" and scrambled around her room trying to find a hiding place for Leigha. Urgh! This was going to be tiring, trying to hide her little dragon every time someone came knocking. ' The bathroom! ' she thought at last. It was perfect. There was a cushioned seat, she remembered. Carefully, she carried Leigha to the bathroom, making sure she didn't wake her. She looked at herself in the mirror, she was dressed in black, her usual wardrobe choice and went to open the door.  
  
" Mya! Why is your door locked?" her twin, Nicola, exclaimed impatiently from behind the huge oak doors.   
  
" Nicola! " she exclaimed back, somewhat sarcastically as she finally opened the door. " Uh, I was afraid one of your brothers er...barged in," she lied, an excellent actress she was.   
  
" Oh! er...call me Nikki, everyone does," she told her long lost sister. She felt somewhat awkward around her sister. Hatred, jealousy, a sense of loss because she wasn't the youngest anymore?   
  
She didn't know.   
  
" Oh alright then," Mya said.  
  
" Oh they're calling you down for breakfast," she told her, walking into her room. " Oh, OK, just let me go wash up first, you go ahead , I'll be down soon," Hermione told Nikki.  
  
Suddenly, she felt a pain in her stomache. She, at once, clutched it with her hands and leant on the door frame. It did not hurt as much as the cuts and bruises that Mr Granger had given her but it had caught her by surprise. Nikki's eyes widened. " What's wrong Mya?!" she exclaimed.   
  
" Oh, it's nothing, probably need to get some food into this stomache of mine, that's all," Hermione told her twin sister rushing to the bathroom. She felt like puking. Nicola nodded and eyed her suspiciously.  
  
Noises of Hermione puking were audible from the spot Nicola was standing at. Thoughts ran through her mind. What could be wrong with Hermione?  
  
With another suspicious glance, she left the room without a sound.  
  
Hermione was in the bathroom. It was probably all the stomache acids that made her vomit. She washed up and changed into another pair of black pants and long-sleeved top since the ones that she wore to sleep were stained with vomit. She would have worn the big black shirt she used as a nightie but she was too tired to change and so, fell asleep in what she wore.  
  
As she was going to step out of the bathroom, Leigha awoke. ' My little dragon finally awakes,' Hermione thought poetically to herself. " Myknee! It's so stinky!" she exclaimed, pinching her nose as she clutched on to a nasty smelling teddy bear. It was the exact one which Hermione had gotten for her the year before. " Shh... we have to be quiet Leigha, we're in a new house remember?" Hermione whispered to her.   
  
From young, Leigha had thought you had to be quite in a new house, like Hogwarts for example, she had to be quiet then and now, she had to be quiet as well. Hermione hated this, she hated having to tell her lies like having to be quiet in a new house. " I'll be back with some food, OK?" she smiled at the little girl. " OK," was her reply.   
  
She left her room, in search for the kitchen. As she made her search, she looked around the house. There was a glass window just beside her and she took a look out of it, it showed the new wing being designed and constructed. ' That's going to be mine,' Hermione thought. She carried on walking down the long stretch until she came to a flight of steps, the ones Artos led her up the last night. This house was amazing. She walked down the stairs and came to a platform. The platform was where she was the night before, with the portraits and all.   
  
She entered the kitchen, where something smelled so delicious. ' Mmm...blueberry pancakes, my favourite,' Hermione thought as she entered the large kitchen, a large table was set in the middle of it and it was filled with food, from bread to pancakes with syrup. The others were already at the table eating. Lleu, the youngest of the four brothers', ate alot. Hermione wondered how he kept his size. He was piling pancake after pancake. He could even beat Ron!  
  
Hermione sat down between Nicola and the Professor. He gave her a warm smile, she smiled back. Who knew Professor Snape had another side?   
  
Well, the unexpected happens, like when her 'mother' died and when her 'father' started abusing her. Who knew that Doctor Granger, Londons most well-knowned dentist could hurt his daughter so much, she couldn't cry any more.   
  
She made sure not to eat fast, hungry as she was. So she ate slowly, but she ate alot. The only person who seemed to realise this was Nicola. She stared at Mya with awe. Hermione was not skinny. She still had a bit of flesh, luckily but she was still thinner than other women. Nicola, on the other hand, had the body of a real women, curves at the right places, a nice height and all. The two sisters, were very pretty. Hermione was the only one with brown hair though, the other two had dark hair, almost black.   
  
At last, she finished eating. Luckily for her, Lisel and Zacharias had just came in so they were still eating. That day was a Friday, she remembered. She wanted to ask," So, what's up for today?" but she did not in the end. She felt akward around all these people, her new family. Well, they had always been her family but she did not know it. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, while the others were having a discussion about Quidditch, even Professor Snape participated. Mya just listened, not bothering to talk. Nicola seemed to notice her state of akwardness and said," So, what is everyone doing today?".   
  
" Oh, we've all taken a day off to spend it with Mya," Eli replied.   
  
" Well, that's nice but I've got to go back to Hogwarts to finish some work," Severus told them.  
  
" Daddy...," Nicola whined. " All you do is work, you have to rest you know," she continued.  
  
" I know but it's just for today," he told her before getting up to leave the room. Nicola stood up to hug him. ' Am I supposed to do that too?' she thought but in the end, she stayed seated, like the rest.  
  
After Professor Snape left, she felt even more akward. She was in a room filled with people she did not know. " Can Blaise come over?" Nikki asked.   
  
" Blaise?! As in Blaise Zambini?" Mya blurted out, they didn't seem to mind. She should have known, they were, afterall, a pureblood family. All of the pureblood families were connected somehow or other.  
  
" Yes, Blaise Zambini, do you know him?," Eli asked.  
  
" Yes, we're, how you say, not on very good terms and all. I, being a mudblood and all," she said without thinking. She found it a little easier to talk to them now.  
  
" Ah but you see, you're not a mud- muggle-born witch and how dare you insult yourself!" Lleu exclaimed. Zacharias just bend his head down. Lisel put her arm around him comfortingly.  
  
" Er, shall we go outside to talk somemore?" Lisel suggested.  
  
" Excellent idea," the rest agreed. They stood up to leave and Hermione just followed. She made a mental note to herself to figure out this large manor. Gigalo-Granger's house was negative 20 times the size of this one. She followed them through the hallway and into some sort of a platform which over looked the grounds of the manor. It was huge. There was at least 40 hectares of land down there in the medows, including the forest and there was a Quidditch pitch with stands and all right smack in the middle of the land.  
  
" Wow," she gasped softly.  
  
" I know, it's beautiful," Nikki whispered. They all sat down on those large beenbags which lay on the wooden platform. " So can Blaise come over or not?" Nicola asked again, somewhat irritated.   
  
" Only if Mya says it's OK," Artos told her. This made Hermione gain confidence. Artos actually asked if it was OK for Blaise Zambini could come over!   
  
Nikki looked at her with pleading eyes. " I guess it's alright," Mya told her. Nikki's eyes brightened. " Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Nicola exclaimed, jumping up and down.   
  
" He can come only after your studies," Medraut told her.  
  
" Oh, alright but if you guys get to take a break, why can't I? I mean, afterall, it's the day after our sister's return!" she told them. Hermione felt even more wanted and welcomed like this. She was starting to settle in fast but there were so many questions needed to be asked.  
  
" Ok, I guess that means you can have a day off from school but it also means that you'll have extra work on Monday if you want to be in 7th year with 'Mione and graduate a year earlier," Medraut told her after thinking.  
  
" Er...school?" Mya asked. Why was Nikki at school during the summer holidays?  
  
" Oh yes, she is home-schooled and we, Medraut and I, are like her teachers," Artos explained.   
  
" But why isn't she schooled at Hogwarts?" Fay asked.  
  
" Because, our father didn't want the same thing that happened to you, happen to her," Eli explained.   
  
" Oh," Hermione said, feeling stupid. Why didn't she think of it before?  
  
" But since Voldemort is dead and you're back, she'll be going to Hogwarts with you next term," Artos said.  
  
" Where's Maddox?" she asked.   
  
" Oh, he's with his nanny in the nursery," Zacharias told her, pointing at the direction of a different wing.  
  
" OK, let me try getting all your names right," she told them, quite happy to hear that her twin was going to be going to Hogwarts with her. ' Wait until Harry and Ron hear about this!' she thought excitedly. Then it dawned on her that they were probably going to be with their girlfriends. Her face saddened.  
  
" Go ahead," Lisel said.   
  
" You're Lisel Mirabelle Ale- no, Blythe Ellamanda Alejandria Ethele Snape-Malfoy?" she asked  
  
" Correct,"  
  
" Ok, Nikki is, Nicola Adreanne Loreal Arwen Emmaleigha Goewin Snape?" she asked again.  
  
" Correct,"  
  
" The guys are, Artos, Medraut, Eli, Lleu and that's Zacharias," she said.  
  
" Correct once again,"   
  
" I'd like to ask you a question," she asked Artos.  
  
" Shoot,"   
  
" What's my name again?" she asked. They laughed humorously.  
  
" Your name is Fayre Agatha Emmalynn Noelle Giselle Ebony Snape," Artos said smiling.  
  
" Why do the girls have such long names and the guys short ones?" she asked again, it was her chance to ask all the questions.  
  
" Well, there's another secret we haven't revealed to you yet. The girls in the pureblood families are Amazonians. Which means you are part of the Amazon Sisterhood," Lisel told her. " Do you know what they are?" Lleu asked.  
  
" Yes, they are a Sisterhood, as you say, who have supernatural abilities such as the ablity to control the minds of others, extraordinary strength and speed...and so on but the powers have to be trained and you have to keep practicing, very few of them have their own special abilities" Hermione said, as if she was reading it from a book.  
  
" Wow, you're good," Nikki told her, amazed.  
  
" Thank you, so does this mean I have to train?" she asked.  
  
" That's exactly what it means," Lleu said. Hermione whined.  
  
" Oh, quit whining, it's though but you'll benefit from it," Artos told her. He treated her as if he had known her for years, infact, they all did. She liked it.  
  
" Wait, if she girls are Amazonions, then the guys should be Gothikas," she said.  
  
" You're right, we are," Lleu said.   
  
" You know what, I didn't know Malfoy had a brother," she told Zacharias. He apparently realise how she had addressed his brother and said," Are you not on good terms with him?" he said, raising his eyebrows just like the others did.  
  
" Erm...no we're not. He's in Slytherin and I'm in Gryfindor, our blood lines were very different until yesterday. He hates me and I hate him, easy as that," she told them as a matter-of-factly.  
  
" No, it's not that easy," Nicola whispered. Hermione heard this.  
  
" What do you me-," she was cut off when Artos came into the room holding two bunches of vials.   
  
" Here you go," he passed a bunch of vials to Mya.  
  
" Yes! Thank you! Artos, I thought you weren't going to make some fore me until you were free," Nikki exclaimed.  
  
" What's this for?" she asked him, holding them. She examined them closely, it was a metalic silver liquid, like mercury.  
  
" Oh, Mrs. Potts, the head maid of the house, was cleaning your room this morning and realised you had a bit of trouble with the sheets," Artos winked at her. Realisation hit her. ' Shitty Shit Shit Shit, did she see Leigha? Oh my goodness, all the explaining I'll have to do, oh no oh no oh no' she thought but covered up with a quick-  
  
" Oh," she said, blushing.   
  
" Neh, it's OK, this happens to Nikki all the time," Artos told her.  
  
" Hey! It's only because you don't make that potion for me!" she exclaimed in her own defence.  
  
" Thank goodness! No more muggle pads!" Eli exclaimed. " Those muggles look at me like I'm a freak!" Eli continued. Everyone laughed, except Hermione, who looked at him as if he was a freak. " Look at her! She even looks at me like I am one," he exclaimed again. This time, they all laughed.   
  
" Might I ask why he complaining about muggle pads?" Hermione asked.  
  
" Because he has to go and get them for me, they all won't let me go out to get them," Nikki told her, still laughing.  
  
" Why won't they let you?" she asked again.  
  
" Because, she is too young and it's dangerous!" Lleu exclaimed.  
  
" Oh, great, you're just like Ron and his brothers," Mia said without thinking. Why was she speaking without thinking? It was probably her new family.  
  
" Who is Ron and who are his brothers?" her brothers asked her, eyeing her closely.  
  
" Uh oh," she whispered. The other girls just laughed. They knew she would get into trouble for saying that. " He's er...just a friend," it was true, he was just a friend.   
  
" You have a boyfriend?!" Nikki exclaimed. The rest had their eyes wide open.  
  
" No, he's not my boyfriend and what's wrong with my having a boyfriend anyway?" she asked them.  
  
" Well, you see..." Nicola was going to carry on when- " OUCH! " Lisel elbowed her sister in the ribs and shook her head vigorously. She quietened down, rubbing her side.  
  
" Hey all," Blaise who finally arrived at the manor said.  
  
" Blaise!" Nikki exclaimed like a little girl who was going to buy a new Barbie doll. Hermione shifted nervously in her seat. He kissed Nicola's forehead and she whispered something in his ear. His eyes visibly widened.  
  
" Hermione," he nodded to her in greeting.   
  
She nodded and said," Zambini ". No way was she going to call him by his first name, after all he did.   
  
" Anyway, Mya, could you sing that song that you sand last night? It was marvellous!" Lisel said, trying to break the tension.  
  
" What song?" she inquired.  
  
" All the pretty little horses. The one Mum used to sing to us," she said, then clasped her hands over her mouth, realising Hermione hadn't known their mother.  
  
" Oh, don't worry. Its quite alright. I sang a song? When?" she asked.  
  
" You know, when we discovered you," Lleu said.  
  
" Sing me the song, I'm not sure, " she asked Lisel. She started singing, 'Hush Bye Bye....'  
  
" I don't know that song," Hermione replied. It was a lie. A downright lie. She knew the whole song by heart but she didn't dare. It reminded her of how her 'father' used to tell her she croaked like a frog when she sang most pleasantly. Critisizing her in every possible aspect, at first, she thought it wasn't true, that he was just jealous.  
  
Jealous of what? She used to then think and soon, it sunk into her. That she was far from perfect. Far from the smartest girl at Hogwarts since Rowena Ravenclaw. Her grades never slipped but her sanity was hanging on brittle hairs, the ones on Leigha's little head.   
  
The day passed rather smoothly except for a few times where Hermione would misteriously disappear to her room and come back again. She had learnt a little about everyone though, Artos was an expert in Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Medraut in Charms and Potions, and he also happened to be a phsycologist. Eli was a doctor at St. Mungo's. Lleu was an expert at Quidditch, he was one of the best players of the English Quidditch team. Zacharias worked at the Ministry as an Auror, Hermione was surprised that he wasn't a deatheater. Lisel was the mother of Maddox, who was two and Nikki was just like any other teenage girl, boy crazy but she was somewhat sensible. 


	4. 4

A/N: Hey guys. Thanks for yout reviews. They're great. This is a very mild 4th chapter but I was in a real rush. I can't go onto the computer on weekdays you see....  
  
Chapter 4   
  
Nights were peaceful now. No more thumping. No more nightmares. Hermione and her little dragon would sit at the window and look at the stars, trying to figure out what patterns they made. It was amazing.   
  
" Myknee," Leigha whispered. " Look at that one, it looks like a dragon!" she continued, excitedly pointing to a cluster of stars.  
  
" Yes, it does, come to think of it," she whispered back.   
  
" It's beautiful, don't you think?" she whispered, smiling up at a motherly-like figure. Leigha had always striked Hermione as a very mature four-year-old, a sixteen-year-old whose intellect was that of a seventeen-year-old being her only companion besides her teddy bear.   
  
" Yes, it's just like you," Hermione told the little girl. She had shoulder length dirty-blond hair, just like her mother's but her hair was curly instead. Her hazel eyes matched Hermione's and pale skin was due to the fact that she never went out often. She was of average size and was relatively weak compared to other four-year-olds. She did have the intellect of a seven-year-old though.   
  
The little girl smiled back at her, eyes shinning. She suddenly yawned. " Myknee, I'm tired, can I go to sleep?" she asked.   
  
" Of course, let's put you and Teddy to sleep," she said, lifting Leigha up from the cushion seats at the window. Books were sprawled across the wood floor, the ones which Hermione would use to entertain Leigha with while she was out of the room and Leigha would read and read and read, non-stop. It was a wonder why her eye-sight was still perfect.   
  
The night was still young when young Leigha was put to bed. Hermione sighed as she walked towards the window once again. Was Leigha ever going to be found out?   
  
The fear of questions took over her whenever she thought of exposing Leigha. What if they asked her about her real parents? What if they asked her why she was so small or weak?   
  
She sat at her window and opened her diary. The place where all her feelings, thoughts and emotions were hidden. No one had read it. Leigha had found it one day and was going to open it when Hermione came back from downstairs. Hermione rushed and snatched the black-leather book from her and screamed. " Don't you dare touch this book! Never!" and the next thing she knew, Leigha was crying.   
  
At once, Hermione regretted what she did. She loved Leigha dearly but she would protect her diary with her life. Somehow, she didn't want anyone to know about her life but sometimes, she would want to run down the streets screaming about her life story. It was hard, especially for a sevent- no, sixteen-year-old to take care of a four-year-old, alone. She had to provide for Leigha, had to buy her food and new clothes and occasionally pretty dresses and toys. It was stressful yet comforting to know someone needed her that much.  
  
It was all changing though, she could get Leigha all the pretty dresses and toys she wanted with her 100 galleons per day allowance. She couldn't believe it. A week ago, she was possible the poorest witch in all of England and now, she had a 100 galleons a day to spend.   
  
Her life was changing, for better or for worse, she didn't know. It was all getting better at the moment but something was bothering her. She was still insecure. Was still a victim of rape and the rapist was not going to be prosecuted. Leigha, what about Leigha?   
  
' I'll wait for the right time,' Hermione thought. This was going to be very unhealthy for Leigha, for a week now, she hadn't been let out of her room. She was getting weaker by the day and Hermione knew it.   
  
She opened her diary, the one she hadn't written in since she arrived, and wrote:   
  
Dear Diary,  
  
I'm back and it's amazing. I actually found out I'm a Snape, can you actually believe it?   
  
There's something about my twin, Nikki, that makes me stay away from her. She stares at me suspiciously and angrily whenever I turn around. Something tells me she is jealous. What should she be jealous about? I was the one who was taken and abused and raped. While, she just stayed at home like a pretty little princess. I feel betrayal coming my way but how can I think of my sister like that?   
  
Through the darkness  
  
Comes the light- Oh wait, Leigha's waking up. Got to go for now.  
  
Hermione  
  
" Myknee, I couldn't sleep any more," she told Hermione as she walked towards the window.  
  
" It's alright," Hermione told her as she brought her to her lap. Staring at the lake that was about two hundred metres away from the window of her room, she had an idea.   
  
She knew, no one travelled on these grounds at night, and so she thought of bringing Leigha out. " Baby, do you want to go out for a while?" Hermione asked the small girl. " Yes!" her eyes shone with brightness.   
  
" Alright then," Hermione replied, getting both their sweaters, for the grounds were cold.   
  
Walking out of her temporary room, she scanned the corridors for any sign of human life. The coast was clear and she motioned for Leigha to follow her. Down the stairs, through those corridoors, down those stairs, pass the dinning hall, pass the whole row of sleeping portraits to the arrival hall and out the front door.   
  
Finally, they were out. They walked another two hundred metres west to the lake. Both, mother-like-figure and daughter-like-figure sat down near the lake. " Myknee, that was fun! It was like Hogwarts!" the petite being said. Hermione laughed. She remembered how Leigha was so very fascinated by Hogwarts the first time she went there. The room of Requirement had been her favourite place there and therefore, they stayed there alot.   
  
Leigha sat herself down on Hermione's lap and yawned. " I'm tired again, Myknee," she whispered with another yawn. " It's alright, you sleep here and I'll carry you up later," she told Leigha. " Oka...y," she said, slowly falling asleep.  
  
" Hush now my baby  
  
Be still now don't cry  
  
Sleep like you're rocked by the stream  
  
Sleep and remember my lullaby  
  
And I'll be with you in your dreams  
  
" Drift on a river that flows through my arms  
  
Drift as Im singing to you  
  
I seee you smiling   
  
So peaceful and calm  
  
And holding you Im smiling to  
  
Here in my arms   
  
safe from all harm  
  
and holding you im smiling too  
  
"hush now my baby  
  
be still now dont cry  
  
sleep like you're rocked by the streams  
  
sleep and remember this river lullaby  
  
and ill be with you when you dream  
  
"here in my arms   
  
safe from all harm  
  
holding you Im smiling too  
  
"sleep and remember this river lullaby   
  
and I'll be with you when you dream  
  
"sleep and remember this river lullaby  
  
and I'll be with you when you dream  
  
"I'll be with you when you dream," Hermione sang softly to her Little Dragon.   
  
She closed her eyes and listenend to the peaceful rushing of the water and the rustling of the leaves. She was glad, glad that she was away from that man.   
  
Before she knew it, it was ten to midnight. She started back up the her room, careful not to make noise. 


	5. 5

A/N: Ok, Im sorry I really havent been updating. I got banned from the computer for two weeks. First week for being irresponsible. Second for having an attitude. Come on?!? Don't all 13 year olds have attitudes?!?  
  
Anyway, Draco'll be introduced in this Chapter. Have fun!  
  
Chapter 5  
  
The newest addition to the Snape Family looked at her naked self in the full-length mirror, the song Beautiful by Christina Aguilera playing softly on her new sound system. Each time the word ' beautiful ' escaped the singers lips, Hermione heard it as 'ugly'. She hated the song, yet she still seemed to want to play it. To remind herself of how ugly she was compared to everyone.   
  
The cuts had turned to scars, the bruises had faded and the scars still, well, remained scars. The Period potion had helped fade the bruises and most cuts, Hermione's system didn't react like a normal body would react to potions. For example, the Period potion was, in this case, a very mild healing potion with a lot of side effects. It made her cuts and bruises fade, yes, but it also made her vomit after every meal. Her body was a very complex matter, the unhealthy diet of alchohal had done this to her.   
  
Hermione's alchohal intake had decreased but she still couldn't live without it. She needed at least a bottle of beer everyday and her allowance of 30 galleons a day allowed her to do so. She would either sneak into the cellar located at the used-to-be dungeons or ask one of the house-elves to get her some from the market when they went.  
  
Once, she went to market with Nikki and Lleu, Nikki for a companion, Lleu for protection from...nothing. Artos and Medraut had insisted on at least one brother bringing them and they chose Lleu, the most easy going. She had bought a few new dresses for Leigha saying they were presents for 'cousins'.  
  
At the rate Hermione was eating had it wasn't a surprise that she had grown fleshier, not skin and bone any more and Leigha was stronger. Hermione brought her out to the lake every night and she could see Leigha was thankful for that.   
  
How she was going to tell her family about Leigha-she still didn't know. Mrs. Granger had always told her to let things fall into place and this was the first time she was going to listen.   
  
Hermione put on the usual outfit and ran down stairs only after kissing sleeping Leigha on her forehead. That day was going to be the first day of her Amazon training. Her father had warned her that it was going to be tough, the first day would be when all the second year and above recruits would train all the new ones. She was also warned that the new recruits would get bullied so much that they wouldn't be physically or mentally able to attend the next few trainings or so. In this case, Hermione was at much loss, the other recruits, she heard, were trained by their parents since young.   
  
Down the stone stairs, down more stairs and another flight at the other end, she finally reached the arrival hall only to meet whole bunch of people in gym shorts or pants, and all types of tops ranging from tank tops to long sleeved blouses. They were all chattering away when Hermione entered. It took a while for her to adjust to the noise, for crying out loud, it was only 7.30 in the morning and people were making so much noise. Hermione's stomache growled, she knew it was going to be a long time before breakfast for training was supposed to start in 15 minutes and end about 3 hours later. A late breakfast was scheduled for all of them, followed by an hour of mental training, which was suppositely very energy draining therefore lunch was after that and then another 4 hours of training and then tea, that's when it will all end.   
  
Hermione stood still on the grey stoned stair, her stomache still growling, demanding something fill it. She decided then to sneak into the kitchens and grab a bite to eat before starting which was in about 11 minutes. As she almost reached the hallway leading to the kitchens, a whistle blew, startling no one but Hermione, she jumped slightly.   
  
" All new recruits over here!" she heard a male shout. " Amazonians over here! Gothikas over there!" she then heard a lady shout. Hermione was just going to make a run for it when-" Mia! Where do you think you're going!?" she heard Nikki cry at the top of her lungs from the other end of the hall. Hermione was most definately busted. Everyone was looking at her now as she made her way to the Amazion line.   
  
Boys and girls aged 14 were standing in two straight lines, all the elders were examining the new recruits, one by one. Hermione was the last of the Amazonians in line. This whole process was nerve-wrecking for her and the sweaty palms certainly didn't help the growling of her stomache. It was almost coming to an end when the Slytherin prince decided to stop by. She eyed him suspiciously, she knew he was here, that he would come, it was what he was going to do that she didn't know.   
  
She saw him lean forward to her ear, " Hello, Mudblood," he whispered slyly into her ear. She would have expected this and she did but her reaction wasn't expected, not even Hermione expected it. " Why you!" she screamed in rage, swinging her arm over to slap him right across the cheek but before her hand could come into contact with his face he caught her hand and tutted. " Tut tut tut, learn to respect your elders," he said while Hermione seethed. Where were the overprotective brothers when you needed them?   
  
All the girls ooed and ahhed over what Draco had said to Hermione. Hermione, on the other hand, had adrenaline pumping through every vein in her covered body, anger had caused most of it.  
  
" The training of the new recruits shall begin now," she heard her father say, he was looking at her. She looked back. " Do your best," he mouthed to her. She nodded, jogging off the the Quidditch pitch, where the others had cartwheeled over to. 


	6. 6

Ayu: Actually, I didn't say whether she was playing Quidditch or not. I just said that she jogged over to the Quidditch pitch. Thanks by the way.  
  
Thanks to all my reviewers. You guys really make my day!  
  
Chapter 6  
  
She started to pant. She was breathless. It was her last round, round the Quidditch pitch, out of 16 and she was the last. Adrenaline still pumped through her veins. It was hot. Stuffy. Cramped. Run run run, her body kept telling her. In her mind, she wanted to collapse and just lay there for the rest of the day and to think this was only warm up. The other recuits were still running steadily on, boys in the lead. The elders were in the stands watching.   
  
' Last 300 metres, ' Mione,' she told herself before picking up pace and printing the remaining distance. From behind she caught up to fourth from the back and thats when the others burst into a sprint as well, determined to get the first place and praise from the elders. They sprinted and passed Hermione, Hermione kept running steadily on, last again. 'No!' her mind screamed, she would not risk the humiliation. She ran even faster, pushing her mind and body to the limit. She could hardly breath now.   
  
The others were still faster. ' Last 25 metres, 'Mione,' she thought, determined not to get last. She ran, as if the policemen were chasing her and as she passed the finishing line, she screamed in frustration. She had tied with the last runner. how humiliating. Everyone was shocked at her outburst.   
  
She kept running, towards the forest, she couldn't stop. 'Stop! Stop!' her mind told her body but it wasn't listening to her. Oh no. She was speedily approaching a white pole, one of which surrounded the Quidditch pitch. She couldn't change direction. She could hear shouts of " Look Out! " and " Stop!" in the background but all she could hear was her heartbeat and then, a flash, a white flash blinding her for a moment. It was only then, did she stop running. Her legs shivered and she collapsed onto the grass. In exhaustion and in relief.   
  
Artos, Medraut, Eli, Lleu and their father ran over to where she lay still on the grass. Hermione was still panting heavily, the only thought in her mind being the white flash. Her mind had just went blank and she was oblivious to everything around her, for that moment. Blood was still rushing to her ears, her heartbeat was still very high and her face was like Ron's when he was angry.  
  
" Mia! Are you alright ?!" Eli shouted from 15 metres away, he was the doctor, afterall. Then, everything stopped. All the weird things stopped. She felt, normal, fine, great infact. " Oh, yeah, just got a little carried away there," she stood up and smiled at them.   
  
" A LITTLE?!" Artos exclaimed. " You call almost running into a pole, A LITTLE carried away," he was crazy now. " You sure you're alright, 'Mione," the Professor asked, concern evident in his dark eyes. " Of course, Father," she said as she turned to walk towards the new recruits. Over the past few weeks, she had come to call him Father, Daddy would just have been slightly awkward for Hermione.   
  
Activities carried on as usual, Hermione getting frustrated after every task but never getting out of control like she did on the first task. By the time breakfast came, the stomache juices had already begun to eat at her stomache wall, she was in consistant pain.   
  
They new recruits all entered the lounge, waiting for their breakfast to arrive as did the elders. After the warm up, they had to climb trees and swing fom vine to vine, racing to the other end. Hermione had failed horribly at that one. Her hands were now full of splinters and blisters. The new recruits didn't seem tired at all, unlike Hermione who was pratically half dead already and there was still another hour of mental training and 4 hours of physical training till the end of the day.  
  
The house-elves came into the lounge with trays and trays of toast and bagels, Hermione tried to eat but the pain still hadn't subsided and her apetite faded.  
  
She stopped trying to finish her bagel and then she heard Pansy say, " Gee Hermione, Nikki tells me that you normally eat ALOT more than that, why stop on your first bagel?". " Gee Pansy, I don't know, maybe because I'm not hungry, ever thought about that? " Hermione answered back cooly, she knew Pansy was actually trying to be mean, she was failing badly though. Hermione was well aware of Pansy's capabilities but it seemed like she was on her off day. She left the louge and headed to her room.   
  
She finally made her way up to her room and she passed this portrait, one that she hadn't seen before. It was of a female teenager. " Hello, Hermione," the girl said. " Oh! Er...Hello," she replied.   
  
" You need to know some- oh nevermind!, you'd better go to your room and change into a new set of clothes to begin your second half of training," she said, smiling. Hermione smiled back and walked off to her room. ' That was weird,' she thought to herself as she entered her room.  
  
" Myknee! You're back," Leigha exclaimed when she saw Hermione enter. " Yes, I'm back, but it'll only be for a little while, have you finished your CoCoa Pops?" she asked the little girl. Leigha pouted but said," Yes I have", before turning back to the television. She was watching Barney, on the cartoon channel. Hermione smiled and got changed. The incident earlier in the morning had long been forgotten. 


	7. 7

A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers! Oh and to those few who want to know, yes, Leigha is going to be discovered but do be patient.   
  
Chapter 7  
  
" Come on Hermione! You can do it!," Hermione could here her older sister's voice in a distance. She was sitting cross legged on the floor and a glass bottle lay in front of her. Mental training was tough, she was supposed to break the glass bottle with her mind. The rest of the recruits had already done it and she was the remaining one. Everyone's eyes were on her.   
  
Hermione's mind hurt, her concentration level was at its peak but still, she couldn't break the bottle. She had tried and tried but the glass bottle still remained unbroken, it wouldn't even move. The hands that were tied behind her back were sweating and drops of sweat fell from her forhead to her chin and then onto her grey Yoga-pants. Suddenly she heard chanting, as it became louder she heard the chants even more clearly. She turned around, breaking her concentration. The new recruits, as well as the first and second year elders, were chanting, " Mudblood, mudblood, mudblood". They were lead by the one and only, Draco Malfoy. Why wasn't anyone stopping them?   
  
Mudblood. Mudblood. Mudblood. Mudblood.  
  
She felt her blood boil and she turned back to the glass bottle.   
  
Mudblood. Mudblood. Mudblood. Mudblood.  
  
She hated that name. Hated it. It was a foul, loathesome name. She wasn't a mudblood anymore. No one should have been able to call her that. Irritation overwhelmed her and she told the glass bottle to break. Break into uncountable pieces. Break into pieces of which could be compared to the size of an ant. She felt a wave of control over the bottle and she felt like a master, the glass bottle her servant and then, the sound of glass shattering could be heard.   
  
It was exhilirating. Hermione felt power. The power she had never felt before, like she was in control of every object which she wanted to be in control of. It was amazing.   
  
" Well done, Hermione," Severus Snape came up to his daughter, grinning like an idiot. She didn't look at her father and her brothers that were approaching, all grinning like idiots. She looked at the chanters, they're eyes were wide with shock. " What?" she asked them, a hint of irritation in her voice. She was in one of her foul moods now. She was going to make sure they were going to pay for calling her that. Inwardly, she was shocked at herself, why had this affected her so much?   
  
" Wow, she's good," she heard a few of them say. She suddenly lost herself, she couldn't control herself, this wave of emotion. She needed to hurt someone, something. Hermione swiftly turned her head to the table which hosted the many jars which were meant for practice. Feeling control again, she passed a strong wave, telling the jars to self-destruct. As instructed, they broke and the sounds were sent throughout the whole manor.   
  
" That's for calling me a Mudblood!" she shouted at the group. Her twin stepped out from behind. " What are you talking about? We would never call you that!" she exclaimed, shocked at her sister's outburst, she turned to the crowd and they shook their heads vigorously, for their parents were staring at them. Nicola turned to Pansy and she saw something in her eyes. She knew she had something to do with this.   
  
Everyone was staring at the two sisters now, " Hermione, are you alright?" she heard her Father ask, worry evident in his low voice. Hermione was confused. Very confused. " But I-," she said, before...' thump!', she had finally collapsed. 


	8. 8

hey! thanks for all your reviews. Im not sure whether they'll be anymore Leigha and Hermione moments, most probablly though.  
  
Chapter 8  
  
She felt herself being carried by a strong pair of arms, she was moving. She kept her eyes closed and tried to remember what had happened.   
  
Chanting. Rage. A strong wave of energy. Control. The shattering of glass. Falling. Darkness.   
  
Then, one of the strong arms leave her, she knew he was at the entrance of her room, reaching for the door and behind that door, watching the Barney would be - Leigha!  
  
" No, wait!" she screamed before that person could push the door open. The person let her go and she was now standing, guarding her door. " You can't go in - Malfoy?!" realisation hit her before she could finish her sentence. The one and only, Draco Malfoy was standing there, an amused expression covered his features. " Yes, Mudblood, it's me," he said coolly. Then, silence. Hermione leant against her oak doors and all she could hear was the faint singing of Leigha singing along with the television, " Please and thank you, they're all the magic words. Please and thank you, they are words that should be heard...,".  
  
Hermione heard a faint chuckle coming from the figure which stood more than a head above her 5 foot 5 inch figure. She brought her attention from Leigha's singing to him. He was smirking, the infamous smirk. She stared at him. He stared back at her. This was a rather weird situation.   
  
" What are you doing here?!" Hermione shouted, dropping out of the staring contest. " I was told to bring you into your room, if that's what you were wondering," he answered, once again, coolly. This was irritating Hermione. " Well, you can leave now," she told him, firmly.   
  
" I don't think so, I was told to bring you into your room, not to your room," he said to her face. Hermione was tired and all she wanted to do was get some decent rest on her nice comforatble king-sized bed. ' That's all I want, is it so hard?!' her mind screamed silently out to the smirking Slytherin who was still standing before her. He was rather persistant.   
  
" Well, then, I was unconscious, now I'm conscious and thus, you can go," she told him coolly, staring up at his face. " I was given direct orders from your father and brothers, whom, mind you, I have respect for," he told her, staring back at her.   
  
Her face turned red. He was seriously getting on her nerves. Hermione could now hear Leigha singing," I love you, you love me...," in the room.   
  
" Are we going to waiting here all day, Mudblood?" he asked, not a hint of impatience in his voice. " 'Cause I could but I'd rather go to the field and torture the new recruits," he told her, hinting that he could stay there all day, until she let him in. " But, on second thought, being here would be fun too, torturing you and all," he smirked at her. He was very irritating and Hermione's blood began to boil for the second time that day. Oh, he was just so insufferable!  
  
They stood in the corridoor of the newly built wing. Hermione needed time alone to think about what had happened at training. The fall, was it exhaustion?   
  
' Probably,' Hermione thought, leaning against the door. Now, Leigha was singing along to the Tellytubies, Barney had long been over. Hermione could hear the muffled noises of Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Lala and Po from the other side of the door and she could imagine Leigha waving her hands above her head and jumping around to the songs. She must have picked it up some dance moves from the bar Hermione used to work at.   
  
Now, she longed to take a bath and cuddle with Leigha on their bed and nap for the whole afternoon. " Ugh!" Hermione gave up. " Wait here," she told him, firmly. He smirked in triumph but waited. Hermione pushed open the door slightly and squeezed through the whole she made for herself and very quickly, she shut the door.   
  
Malfoy stood out in the corridors. He observed her wall, it was oak but it was painted with ballerinas, one of which was doing a beautiful pose and yet, she was tearing. Suddenly he heard trashing coming from the Mudblood's chambers. Beside's Pansy's bed chambers, he hadn't been into any other girls' ones and this one sounded lethal. You could hardly call Pansy's bed chambers a normal one, unless all girls had crimson red rose petals spreaded over their red covers and scented candles in their chambers.   
  
The trashing finally subsided and Hermione's door opened, revealing a very sweaty Hermione. " What did you do in there, have a shag?" he asked, entering her chambers, looking around. She glared, hoping Leigha didn't hear it, or she'd have to explain it to her. " No, actually, I was cleaning up," she covered up. " Ah, who would've thought the know-it-all would be so messy?" he looked at her, the question seemed more like a statement. " You don't know me and I don't want to know anything about you, that's for sure," she glared at him even more, she knew she was right. He didn't know her and she didn't know him. She didn't want to know him. Heck, she didn't even want to be near him.  
  
" Oh, but you'll have to," he said and turned to leave. Realising what he had just said, she tried to stop him. " Wait wh-," but he had already left, shutting the door with a light 'click'.   
  
She sighed, this was confusing. Then, she remembered the white flash in the morning and became even for confused. First, the flash, then, the collapse at mental training and now, Draco Malfoy. Obviously, this new life came with a free package. She needed to do alot of thinking but right now, all she wanted was rest.   
  
" You can come out, Leigha!" she shouted towards the bathroom, expecting a little girl of about a metre to come running out. When she didn't, Hermione went to the bathroom.   
  
As she slid the doors open, she found a little girl, curled up in a ball, peacefully asleep. Leigha was sucking lightly on the right thumb. Hermione smiled slightly at the sight of her. She carried Leigha onto the bed and went to take a warm shower.  
  
The warm water hit her skin, relaxing her contracted muscles and momentarily washed away the worries of Leigha and having to hide her scars. For half an hour, she stood in the spacious shower, just standing there, letting the lukewarm water hit her skin. Then, she turned the water cold to refresh herself and she stepped out. Dressing in a white long sleeved shirt and underwear, she headed for her bed.  
  
' Finally,' she thought. She cuddled Leigha and fell asleep. 


	9. 9

a/n: I am highly aware that Draco still calls Hermione a 'mudblood' but there is a reason behind it.   
  
Chapter 9  
  
Hermione felt a little finger poke her sides. " Myknee! Myknee!" a little girl whispered harshly into Hermione's ears. Hermione stirred and yawned. Leigha giggled. " Myknee, wake up you sleepy head! It's 4.30, time for tea!" Leigha exclaimed in a whisper, still poking Hermione's sides. Hermione laughed at the girl. " Alright, I'm getting up!" she whispered back. " Okay, what do you want for tea?" she asked Leigha, getting dressed in a pair of three-quarter Yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt, for the nights in the manor were cold. " I want Cocoa Pops!" Leigha whispered to Hermione excitedly, searching Hermione's cupboard for her own sweater.   
  
" So it's the usual then," Hermione reached the top drawer and took Leigha's sweater down, handing it to her. Leigha nodded her head, eyes shinning brightly as always.   
  
Hermione walked over to the small room which was conected to her own. In there, was a large cabinet of junk food and drinks and in the cabinet lay a mini-refrigerator. She pulled out an open box of Cocoa Pops and poured it into a plastic cup and then opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of fresh milk. Hermione then poured the fresh milk into the cup, after taking a sip of it, she passed it to Leigha. " Hey!" Leigha exclaimed. Hermione had told her that she didn't have to whisper in this room because the walls were sound proof. " It's my tea, go and get your own," she said, playfully. Hermione just laughed.  
  
" Actually, Leigha, it is time for me to get my own tea, Ill be back before dinner, " she informed the petite figure. " Myknee, come back sooner!" her Little Dragon exclaimed. " I'll try to come back A.S.A.P," she told Leigha, looking down at her. " That means as soon as possible, right?" Leigha made sure. " Right, smarty pants," Hermione smiled at her. Hermione heard her Little Dragon giggle as she closed the door.  
  
Inside, the sixteen year-old was aching. She knew how much Leigha wanted to be exposed to everyone yet, she feared and because of her own fears, Leigha had to suffer. Worry constantly overwhelmed her, not knowing what Leigha was doing or whether she'd been found out by Mrs. Potts when she did her weekly rounds in everyone's chambers.  
  
She walked down to the lounge, expecting trays and trays of food like there was at breakfast and everyone to be there having tea but no one was there. Winston, the only man-servant of the manor, walked past the young mistress, lavitating 4 trays of cakes. " Winston! " Hermione exclaimed to catch his attention. Winston steadily turned to Hermione, keeping his wand hand steady so as not to spill anything. " Yes, Miss Hermione?" he asked. " Winston, I was just wondering where the other's were, do you have any idea?" she asked him. " Oh yes, Miss, they're all at the Quidditch stands, having a picnic," he informed the brown haired girl. " Oh, thanks, Winston," Hermione said, before grabbing a slice of cake from the trays and running off towards the Pitch.  
  
Eating the scrumptious marble cake she had just grabbed from one of the trays Winston was carrying, she walked casually towards the stands, where she could see a bunch of girls eating. As she came closer, she saw people flying on broomsticks, around the Quidditch Pitch and the gardens. She almost screamed in shock, when a male recruit swept past her. She walked up to the stands and sat down next to her sister.   
  
" Hey, Mia, what are you doing down here?! " Nikki exclaimed loudly. " You shouldn't be down here, you should be resting!" she exclaimed even louder. " I'm fine, Nikki, just a little exhaustion, that's all," Hermione explained. Before Nikki could say anything else, Hermione realised something, the guys were flying all around the gardens and the girls were on the stands, admiring. The only girls who were flying were those on the Quidditch teams.   
  
" Hey, Nikki," Hermione turned to her sister. " Why are all the guys and only the girls on the Quidditch teams flying?" she asked her twin. " Oh, that's because us girls are not allowed to fly, they say, it's highly unbecoming," Nikki told her. " And what about those girls' who are flying?" Hermione inquired. " Oh, they are rebelions and trust me, they're parent's weren't too happy when they found out they made the Quidditch team," Nikki told her. " Why would the captain allow them in then?" Hermione asked. " Because, the guys don't really care whether or not they fly," Nicola told Hermione as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.   
  
" Well, if that's so, why are you sitting here?" Hermione asked another question. " Because, you have to remember that those pricks flying over there," she said pointing at a few guys on the Pitch. " Are our brothers," she continued. " And the others are not flying because?" she asked another one. " They have brother's too," Nikki told her, eyes looking somewhere on the field. " Oh," that was all Hermione could say.   
  
Suddenly, she got an idea and for the third time that day, adrenaline rushed through her. For the first time in her life, she needed to fly. Getting down from the stands, she heard Nikki exclaim," No, she's not going to do what I think she's going to do". As she sprinted towards the wooden shed, where so knew had alot of Lleu's old, yet powerful brooms, she heard Nikki exclaim," Lleu!". Hermione turned back and saw Lleu flying towards Nikki and Nikki pointing towards her. Then she saw Lleu flying towards her in such a high speed Hermione was afraid to move. He was still 50 metres away when Hermione managed to push the door open. She laughed, how fun this was!  
  
She entered the shed and quickly looked around, she knew her brothers would all be coming to stop her now. She grabbed the nicest broom she could find and burst through the door. " WHOHOO!" she exclaimed, flying higher and higher. This was a first time she had enjoyed flying, the first time she needed to fly. She turned back and saw her brothers, her father, Zambini and Malfoy chasing after her. She sped up, determined to give them a challenge, although she hadn't flown in 6 years since First year but they said it was like riding a bicycle, you never forget how to ride it. She was slightly unstable though.  
  
" Hermione!" she heard her brothers cry, they were catching up with her. " Darn it!" she muttered, still smiling. " Fayre Agatha Emmalynn Noelle Giselle Ebony Snape!" she heard her father roar. She knew that it was never a good idea to make her father angry. Hermione gave up, she slowed down and turned to face her father, brothers, Zambini and Malfoy. ' What the heck is Malfoy doing here?!' she thought to herself but was interupted with a loud, " What in Merlin's bloody beard did you think you were doing?!" she heard her father roar again. " Flying?" she answered timidly, truth be told, she was scared. " I know you were flying but - ," he cut himself off and went to hug his daughter. " Don't you ever do that again," he warned her, breaking the hug. " Yes?" he wanted to make sure. She silently nodded her head, she knew he was still upset with her so she decided to keep quiet.  
  
They all flew down together. Severus, relieved and yet, angry. Hermione, slightly scared and yet, feeling exhilirated. The brothers, relieved and yet, angry and shocked at Hermione. Zambini and Malfoy, merely surprised. 


	10. 10

This chapter is really mild. Sorry.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
After the incident, Hermione was grounded, literally, her father put a grounding spell on her, so that she couldn't move. It was obvious that Severus Snape didn't want her to run off and fly again. No one in the stands dared to laugh at her for they didn't want to get roared at while her father was in one of his foul moods. Hermione just stood there, smiling to herself.   
  
An hour passed and the rest were finished eating and flying, they walked the the arrival hall, where all the Amazonians and Gothikas were departing. Severus Snape walked over to where Hermione was grounded and countered the spell. Spanking her bottom, he said, " Arrival hall, now,". Hermione just smiled at him and ran off to catch up with her brothers. She sped up as she reached Eli and jumped on his back. Needless to say, he was taken by surprise and did a little jump. Hermione just giggled and Eli scowled playfully at her.   
  
" You know, Mya, you got Father quite angry there," Eli told his new-found sister. " I know," she said, smiling and gripping on tighter to Eli. He was piggy-backing her. " And you got us quite worried," Lleu continued. " I know but I'm not that bad a flier, am I?" she asked. " Not at all," Artos cut in. " Don't do that again!" Medraut finally spoke up. " Alright, I'll try not to," Hermione said, smirking, she had just gotten an idea. Together, with Hermione on Eli's back, they walked into the arrival hall.   
  
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The Snapes, the hosts, stood in a line at the door and the guests came up to shake their hands before departing. Hermione glanced at her watch before shaking someone's hand, she looked up to smile at that person. As she looked up, her eyes met a pair of blue-grey ones. Her smile disappeared. How she hated that...that pillock!  
  
All he seemed to do was, smirk, smirk, smirk and chuckle, smirk, smirk, smirk and talk coldly. There had to be something more to him than just that. He was human. He had a soul. Boy, he must have been a very good actor. Hermione sighed. He hadn't changed since first year, maybe he was a little more mature but otherwise, no he hadn't. He had stopped being a drama queen after Fifth year. His constant, ' ah! Im dying!' act had disappeared. It was odd actually, this was the first time she'd noticed how much different he was since Second year when he called her a mudblood.   
  
She hand-shaking session was over, she had noticed that most of the new recruits were already starting to feel the aches and pains, like she was. Taking another glance at her watch, she told Nikki that she was going up to her room to do something. Nikki nodded and told their father.  
  
" Why is that girl always going to her room at odd times?" her father directed his question to Nikki.  
  
" Well, the other times I don't know but this time, it's a girl's problem," she answered to her father, trying to cover for her sister.   
  
" Ah," was all he said.  
  
Hermione ran up to her room, afterall, she had promised Leigha that she'd be back before dinner. She knocked on the door lightly, just like Mrs. Potts would always do before entering, this gave Leigha time to hide from the old lady who would give her a bath if she found her. Of course, Leigha had to bathe at least once a day, sometimes Hermione would help her and other times they would bathe together.   
  
Hermione knocked to test Leigha and she entered the room. Looking around, there were no signs of a little girl in the room. She smiled. She knew that Leigha was good at hide-and-seek but not this good.   
  
" Leigha! It's me!" Hermione exclaimed. " Shh....," she heard a sound coming from the closet. Slowly, a small hand pushed the closet door open. " You make a lot of noise, Myknee," she told Hermione. " Oops, sorry," Hermione whispered to the little girl. " It's okay, I forgive you," Leigha ran to hug Hermione. This little girl was one of a kind and Hermione was thankful for her.   
  
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It was dinnertime at the manor and the family was in the dinning hall eating when a letter arrived for the master of the house. It was Winston who brought to letter to Severus Snape. Hermione, who was sitting on her father's left hand, stared across at her brother, Artos who was at her father's right. All the offsprings waited for their father to read the letter, to know what it was all about. Hermione got a glimpse of the letter before her father opened it. The seal was a Malfoy seal. ' I wonder what he wants,' she thought silently to herself, while poking at her salad. She hated salad, especially the tomatos. Most of the time, they were sour and not to her liking.   
  
Severus Snape skimmed through the letter and cleared his throat, getting the attention of his 6 children. Lisel was back at the Malfoy's and so wasn't at dinner. His children looked up. " We are invited to spend the evening with the Malfoys tomorrow, as are the Zambinis. We are to stay there for a night, until young Draco's birthday ball, when all the other guests will arrive," he informed them, looking at Hermione. ' Drats, how am I to get Leigha over there?' she thought to herself, staring at her plate and frowning. The Malfoy Manor was on the otherside of the lake and from where Hermione was every night the Manor looked like a small little hut. It was so far away and how was she to get Leigha there, unoticed?  
  
" Alright, Father, we'll pack for the night, tomorrow morning," Artos told his father, looking around to see if anyone disagreed. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and carried on eating. Hermione noticed, in her few weeks of staying with siblings, that the oldest always seemed to make the calls. It was fun, really, Hermione didn't have to think of anything. 


	11. 11

Chapter 11  
  
" So, Leigha, you know what you're supposed to do, right?" Hermione said, packing a long-sleeved muggle gown into a suitcase. It was already half past 11 and she wasn't even packed yet. They were going to leave at 5 but the trunks and suitcases were to be transported there first. " Yes, Myknee, I'm supposed to try and stay up and wait for you to come back and then you'll take me to the small house on the other side of the lake, am I right?" she breathed out and asked. " Yes, you are," Hermione said, throwing a laundry bag into her suit-case.  
  
" Oh, and remember to leave the window open and get your tea from the closet, I put it there and if you're cold, your sweater is on the bed. You can watch the telly all day, the mean old lady won't be coming today," Hermione told the petite girl. She was really worried about Leigha, leaving her all alone and all. " Okay, Myknee, I get it," the younger girl told the older one, trying her best to roll her eyes but to no avail. Hermione laughed at Leigha's silly attempt to copy her. She remembered that she used to do that when one of the guys at the pub was sarcastic or trying to hit on her.  
  
" You can sleep if you want to, you don't have to try to stay awake. Just remember to leave the window open, I'll have a surprise for you," Hermione said, after re-thinking her plan. " Okay, Myknee," Leigha said, smiling brightly, taking her colouring book and her colour pencils out. Hermione reached for her highest drawer in her closet and pulled out a small night gown which was Leigha's. " What are you doing with my nightie, Myknee?" Leigha asked, looking up from her colouring book. " Oh, we're going to be staying there for a night, so I'm packing some of your clothes," Hermione told Leigha the facts that she forgot to tell her.   
  
Pulling out two other sets of Leigha's clothes, she packed it into her suitcase and she revised her plan again, while walking over to her door, making sure it was locked. She was going to get a broom from the broom shed, find a way to fit it into her suitcase and fly back for Leigha at night. Initally, she was planning on taking Leigha for a night ride but when the Malfoy's invitation came up, she decided this would be perfect. All she needed to do was find a way to fit the broom into her suitcase. She looked at her suitcase and then, pictured the size of a broom. ' Its never going to fit,' she thought to herself. She erased all those thoughts and focused first, on getting the broom. " I'll be back," she told the little girl, who just nodded, not bothering to look up from her colouring book.  
  
Hermione climbed through her window, she had to find another way to get a broom up to her room. She hadn't climbed out of her room window before. The time she climbed out to get Leigha, it was from the guest room. Hermione roughly knew where the wooden shed was from the lake, afterall, she always went to the lake at night with Leigha. Slowly climbing down, with the help of a pipe which was connected to the roof, she managed to reach the ground.   
  
Quietly, she tip-toed round the house to the Quidditch pitch. There, she saw Lleu coming from the lounge. She quickly took a step back and hid behind a bush. Then, she saw another guy, carrying a broom. Both Lleu and the guy were dressed in Quidditch uniforms. Then, she saw two more people coming from the same direction the first two came from, followed by another two and then, another three, one of which wore a different Quidditch uniform. She couldn't make out their faces, although the one with the outstanding uniform looked oddly familiar. ' Holy crap, Lleu's whole team is here to train,' Hermione thought and smacked herself on the forehead. Thank goodness no one saw her.   
  
She had to get a broom. She took a glance at the shed and glanced at the team and then glanced back at the shed. Something was different. There was a back door. She had never noticed it before. Hermione smiled. There was a way to get a broom now.   
  
She tip-toed to the shed, careful not to let anyone see her. Hermione reached the shed and twisted the door knob but it wouldn't budge. She yanked it harder, it still wounldn't budge. One thought crossed her mind, she pulled out her trusty wand which she carried with her at all times. ' This is going to ruin my perfect record,' she thought to herself. This was for her Little Dragon. She couldn't possible leave her alone, no, never. Hermione had gotten used to the manor already but she wasn't sure if Leigha was. Since the last day of Hogwarts, she had never used her wand.   
  
" Alohomora," she pointed her wand at the knob and the door immediately opened with a click. She sneaked in, careful not to make any noise. Choosing the broom which looked best in shape, she turned to leave. As she turned to leave, she heard the front door unlock. Someone was coming in!  
  
She looked out the old window of the shed and suddenly, she saw two pairs of eyes staring right back at her. ' Shitty shit shit shit,' her mind was thinking, she was NOT going to be caught in the act. The two people turned to the person who was unlocking the door and Hermione could hardly hear them, what they said was something like," There's someone in the shed!". Hermione saw Lleu approaching the window and quickly bent down to hide herself in the many brooms that lay on the floor, the shelves didn't have enough space.   
  
Hermione saw him leave the window and walk around to where he was before. He started to unlock the door again, at a quicker pace. This was her chance, Hermione bolted out the door as quietly as she could and ran into the bushes where she hid the last time she was there. No one saw her, fortunately, then she saw Lleu looking around the shed, through the window. He walked out the back door, Hermione was glad that it was one of those which closed on its own. He shrugged and turned back to his team mates.   
  
Hermione let out a sigh of relief and turned back to climb back up to her room window. It was harder to climb up the pipe than it was climbing down, so she hopped onto the broom, which brought her to her room window. Once she reached her window, she climbed in and pulled the broom into her room.  
  
Leigha looked up, shocked. " Myknee! You have one of those?!" she exclaimed in a whisper. She had seen those things many times at Hogwarts but she had never came up close and personal before. She squealed and jumped around, excited. Then, suddenly, while she was squealing, the television turned on, then off, and on again. " Leigha! Stop it this instant! Calm your self down! Remember the last time when you got too excited, you made your friend fly off his bike?" Hermione told the little girl in hushed tones. Leigha immediately stopped squealing. She remembered. Then, she started laughing. " It's not funny, he didn't get hurt, but the bicycle shop-owner got sued," Hermione reminded Leigha.   
  
" Alright, I'll try," Leigha whispered, her eyes watering. " Come over here," Hermione told her, stretching her arms wide out for the little girl. " Myknee is sorry," Hermione whispered into the little girl's ear and she hugged her. Leigha just sniffed. To Hermione, it was a known fact that Leigha was magical. Another time, she had turned the next door neighbour into a goat, after telling Leigha she was nothing but a useless child, when she plucked flowers from his garden to give to him. Hermione knew she was far too young for the little girl to learn how to control her abilities.   
  
Very soon, Leigha's sniffing had subsided and she became cheery again. This was what Hermione liked about children, they could just forget about the sad things and move on. So carefree. So innocent.  
  
Hermione carried Leigha to the bed as exhaustion took over the little girl. She soon fell asleep.   
  
Just as soon as Leigha fell asleep, there was a loud knock on the door, which startled Hermione. " 'Mione! Have you packed yet?" it was her twin's voice. " No I haven't!" was Hermione's reply, after recovering from shock. " Well, aren't you going to let me in?" came her sister's voice again. " Okay, hold on!" she shouted, so her sister would be able to hear her. Hermione quickly but gently shifted Leigha side ways and threw her blanket over her, so that she blended in with the pillows. Leigha was a deep sleeper, so Hermione didn't worry much. She turned around to check her room again, the broom was still laying in the middle of it. Picking it up, she chucked it into her walk in wardrobe.  
  
Hermione unlocked her door and opened it, meeting her sister who was standing next to an enormous trunk. " What is that?" Hermione blurted out, pointing to the trunk. " My trunk, what else?" Nikki replied, good-naturedly. " It's huge! What did you put in there?!" Hermione blurted out again. " Clothes, make-up, things like that," was Nicola's reply. " Oh," was all Hermione could say. The trunk was unbelievably huge, for a one night stay. " But it's only going to be for a night," Hermione pointed out to her sister. " I know," Nikki laughed.   
  
" Hey, that's an odd looking pillow you have there," Nicola pointed to her bed, where Hermione's Little Dragon laid. " Oh, I have a bad neck, so muggle doctors told me to get that pillow," Hermione answered, she was quick minded and a very good actress to boot. " Ah," Nikki replied. " Well, lunch'll be in 20, see you then," Hermione's twin informed her, before turning and summoning a house-elf to help her carry her trunk down.  
  
Hermione locked her door once again and let out a breath. Close call, it was. Her 'pillow' was still sationary and Hermione walked over to it and pulled the blanket down so Leigha would be able to breathe fresh air.  
  
She thought for a while and then decided to get a large trunk that would fit a broom. Then, she summoned a house-elf. " Classy, if you could come to my room for a while please?" Hermione called quite loudly to no one in particular. 'Pop!'. There was a sound and then, a happy looking house-elf appeared right in front of Hermione. " Yes, Miss?" the house-elf looked at Hermione. " Could you do me a favour and get me a trunk, a size smaller than Miss Nikki's please?" Hermione asked the house-elf politely. The house-elf nodded enthusiastically and disapperated out of the room only after saying, " Yes, Miss, I is getting the trunk for you right away".   
  
Classy arrived with the trunk only a minute later. " Thank you very much, Classy," she told the house-elf. Classy nodded and disappeared. Hermione stared at the trunk. It was the perrfect size.   
  
She literally poured out all the clothes that was in the suitcase into the trunk and to put a finishing touch to it, she placed the broom on top of it all. Perfect. 


	12. 12

a/n: Hey guys, sorry I didn't update any sooner. Im sick! Its horrible. Restless nights, throbbing head, sore back. Bleah!   
  
Chapter 12  
  
" Ah...," Hermione let out a sigh as she leaned back into her favourite chair. Her chair stood out of her white and green room, it had a burgundy hue and was made of velvet. It felt as if someone was embracing her, making her feel safe and secure. It was not long ago that she finished packing and sent her trunk down to the arrival hall, where the other trunks were. She ended up packing her whole CD collection and her sound-system, since her trunk had a lot of left over space. ' Why hasn't the Ministry sent me a letter of notice or something yet?' she wondered, as she sunk into her wooden legged chair.  
  
As she started to get comfortable, there was a knock on the door. Hermione let out a fustrated sigh and looked over at Leigha, making sure she was fully covered. She stood and walked over to her ballerina doors. Outside, stood Lleu in his Quidditch uniform. ' Did he catch me? Oh no. I caught me. I know. I just know bu-,' her thoughts her cut off when Lleu said, " Father wants you down for lunch, Mia". ' Oh,' was all she thought.   
  
" Alright then, how was Quidditch pratice?" the younger sister asked the older brother. Lleu smiled. " It wasn't practice actually, we had to replace a Seeker and we were just running a try out," he told her. " My team is staying for lunch by the way, I'll introduce you to the guys," he continued. Hermione looked back for the last time and stepped out. She closed the door behind her and walked with Lleu down to the Dinning hall.  
  
As the Dinning hall came nearer, or rather, as Hermione and Lleu approached the Dinning hall, the sound of chattering became audible. As the siblings walked even closer, Hermione noticed a very familiar voice. Very familiar indeed but she could place it. " Lleu, did the seeker make it to the team?" Hermione asked casually as they walked closer. " Well, we haven't exactly decided yet," Lleu told her. " Oh, alright," Hermione said as they entered the room.  
  
Nikki was facing the guy in the odd Quidditch uniform, who had his back towards Hermione, and was laughing with him, as was some of the other members of the team. Everyone, but Severus Snape, was already gathered in the room. " Hey, guys," Lleu said upon entering. The guy in the odd Quidditch uniform turned around and at once they both shouted, " WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!". Hermione was seething and the guy was merely shocked.   
  
" What are you doing here, Krum?" Hermione growled, her voice extremely low. That question sounded more like a command, actually. That guy in the odd Quidditch uniforms was indeed, Miss Fayre Snape's, ex-boyfriend, Viktor Krum. " Wait a minute, you two know each other?" Lleu asked the both of them. Hermione ignored her brother and just continued to glare at her no-good, two timing, Bulgarian ass of a boyfriend. All he did, was stare back, amused. The whole room was silent for a while, watching the two look at each other. " Alright, enough staring, Mya, would you care to tell me what is going on?" Artos, the oldest in the room, piped up. Hermione smirked. " No, 'Mione, you wouldn't," Vikor said with a thick Bulgarian accent. " Don't call me 'Mione," she snapped. " Vikky..." she continued, smirking.  
  
" He was my ex," Hermione said, calmly, trying to draw Nikki to this conversation. " You were the girlfriend of Viktor Krum?!" Nicola exclaimed, mission complete. " Hello, what's this I hear of girlfriends' and boyfriends' ?" came the voice of Severus Snape, as he entered the Dinning hall, clearly smirking. " Hi, Daddy,", " Hello, Father," and " Hello, Sir," the occupants of the room chorused. The twins walked up to their father and pecked him on the cheek. " What is going on?" said a certain confused Viktor when he saw Hermione give a kiss to Professor Snape.   
  
" Oh, didn't I tell you? She's my sister," Lleu turned to him. " What?!" Viktor exclaimed. Hermione smirked again, man, she was getting good at smirking. " He is correct you know," Hermione confirmed it. How she hated him. She hated him with a passion and for once, she knew why Draco Malfoy and all the other Slytherins' smirked, a sense of satisfaction, a beneficial idea coming to your head. " Krum, you used date the Captain's little sister?!" some other team members exclaimed.   
  
" Yes, what's wrong with that?" Krum asked innocently. " Nothing man, you've just landed yourself into huge trouble," said a team-mate, looking around and then stepping away. Viktor Krum followed the Chaser's eyes and noticed angry eyes and clutched fists coming from four directions. One from Artos, the other from Medraut, and the last to from Eli and the captain of the team, Lleu. Hermione looked around and smiled, it felt as if she was in her burgundy chair again, so safe. It was fun to have overprotective brothers, it was much better to have an over-abusive father.   
  
" Now now children, I knew that Hermione and Viktor was an item, what happened after, I have no knowledge of, care to tell?" inturrupted the voice of the man of the house. " He two timed me," Hermione told her father, face void of emotion. Nicola gasped. " That's horrible!" she exclaimed. Hermione was well aware that she was over exaggerating. It was amusing really. Viktor hung his head, knowing that he had just ruined his chances of getting on the team. " You've got it right man, you just ruined your chances," Lleu said, reading his mind using his Gothika abilities. " Wha - how?!" Krum exclaimed. " And you call yourself a pureblood, man," one of the memebers with short dirty blond hair said with a strong Scottish accent, he was shaking his head, pityfully. Hermione and Nicola laughed.   
  
" Figure it out yourself, Krum," Hermione said, laughing. The look on her ex-boyfriend's face was priceless. Angry and seething, Krum left the Snape Manor, leaving the Snape's to their lunch and the Quidditch team still without the seeker. 


	13. 13

Thank you for all your reviews. Its been really encouraging. Im trying to make the story run as smoothly as possible. :).  
  
I took almost the whole day to write this chapter and really enjoyed it.  
  
Chapter 13  
  
" Bye guys!" Hermione, she stood at the door waving to the English Quidditch team as they drove out of the gates one by one. Hermione grinned. She had made a few new friends. They were merely friends, her brothers made sure of that. She knew none of them would ever dare step across that boarder of dating the captain's sister. It was a huge 'no-no'. It was arranged that when the English team came over for training again, they'd have lunch together, without the interruption from Krum. It was hilarious, Hermione agreed.   
  
She turned around to face her brothers and sister when they were all out of the Manor grounds. Father retired to his office, he had some 'planning' to do as he always said. He did spend alot of time in his study and Hermione had initially suspected something but she just shrugged it off. " Do you like them or something?" Medraut asked, his eyebrows furrowed. Everyone looked at her, expecting an answer. She decided to play with them a little. For the fun of it. It was far too dull in the Manor, you hardly found any humor. Father either at Hogwarts having a meeting or planning lessons for the next school year. Nicola with her studies. Artos and Medraut teaching her. Lleu with his team. Eli at St. Mungo's. It was summer for crying out loud. They needed to relax.   
  
" Yes," Hermione said, grinning like an idiot in love. She was a wonderful actress, she was. Hermione swept past them and walked towards the lounge, as if floating in the air. She was six-teen and at this age, she was entitled to act stupid and in love. It was normal. She could just imagine their faces when she told them that she actually liked them. " Wait!" she heard a few of her male family members exclaim in panic. She smiled to herself and continued 'floating' towards the lounge. Hermione heard running footsteps travelling in her direction but she knew they weren't using their abilities. She just 'floated' faster and soon, she was in the lounge.  
  
The six-teen year old plopped herself down onto one of the many beanbags that had been taken out from the storage after the training the day before. Her muscles still ached and her whole body was sore. Just as she plopped herself down, the remaining of her family entered the lounge. " Could you confirm what you said just now?" Nicola asked her sister. Hermione smirked inwardly. " Alright, yes, I do like them, infact, I think I love them," she said in a dreamy voice. " Them? As in, all of them?" asked a very incredulous Eli.  
  
" Yes, all of them, imagine a whole Quidditch team of husbands, including the reserve! Well, I can't have you Lleu, you're my brother and Krum, well, he isn't on the team," she said her voice more dreamy and her eyes looking at the wall above. ' Man, I am good at this,' she thought, smiling a dreamy smile. " What?!" came her siblings' voices. Hermione giggled. The looks on their faces were priceless.   
  
" You heard me, I want to marry them. All of them," Hermione carried on, a real smile tugging at her lips. Any more outbursts like that and her charade would be given away. " Oh no," Lleu said, distraught. Everyone in the room turned to look at him, he was running his hand through his hair and his brows were furrowed as if in deep thought. " Mia, you can't do this. Bloody hell, there'll be no longer an English Quidditch team, I'll have to throw all of them out of the team," Lleu said to Hermione, then to himself. Hermione looked at him, the smile was already there. " DON'T WANT TO MARRY THEM, 'MIONE!" Lleu exclaimed, melodramatically. " What?! 'Mione's marrying who?!" came the Professor's voice. He walked quickly into the lounge and had a very weird look across his face.  
  
Hermione couldn't do this anymore. It was far too hilarious, all their expressions. She burst out laughing. She fell from the beanbag onto the wooden floor, she was rolling with laughter. (The scars on her back were merely scars now, no more open wounds, so they didn't hurt. They just felt unconfortable. ) She continued rolling with laughter while her family just stared at her as if insanity had seriously overwhelmed her.  
  
Hermione's breathing eventually slowed down and she finally stopped laughing but she was still on the floor, front towards the ceiling. She wiped away the tears that the laughing had brought her, then, she looked up. Hermione saw her family looking at her, quizzical looks planted on their faces. She burst out laughing again.   
  
" What's going on?!" the Professor yelled.  
  
" She thinks she's in love, Daddy," Nicola told her father, a worried expression on her face.  
  
" With who?" the man asked  
  
" My whole team," Lleu informed his father, incredulously.  
  
" No...oo...hah...you sho...uld...have...seen," she said, in between laughs. The girl was still rolling about on the floor.  
  
" Does this mean that you're not in love?" Snape asked her, a hopeful look on his features.  
  
" I'm not in love," Hermione told him, with a straight face. Her laughing had finally subsided but more tears had formed and she was wiping them away.  
  
" Then what was all that drama for?" Medraut asked, very confused.  
  
" Fun, you should have seen the looks on your faces," Hermione told him, smiling to herself.   
  
" Don't do that again, scaring the hell out of your father, saying that you're in love and want to marry the whole bloody Quidditch team of England," Severus reprimanded her.  
  
" Sorry, Father," Hermione said, not very sorry at all. She went up to him and hugged him, he took a while, but hugged back.   
  
" You should apologise to me too, making me think I really had to throw the whole team off the team!" Lleu exclaimed, he was clearly upset.   
  
" Sorry," Hermione told him, apologetically and she went over to hug him as well.   
  
" Ahem," she heard a few male " clearing of throats " behind her. She smiled and broke the hug that she was giving Lleu. Hermione turned around to see her other brothers frowning at her with mock anger. " Yes, may I help you?" she asked in a very serious tone, as if they wanted to purchase some tuxedos from Armani. Suddenly, her very "McGonagall-curled " like lips turned into a warm smile and she ran up to give each brother a hug. The emotions she felt were unbelievable. She felt wanted. Needed. Respected. It was, once again, amazing.  
  
When she gave each of them a hug, Hermione turned to Nicola, her twin. She watched her. First she had a very weird expression on her face, as if trying to re-call something. Hermione stared at her and then, noticed her smile.   
  
" That was very good, you know," Nikki finally said.  
  
" Apparently it was, it actually worked," Hermione said.  
  
" Maybe you could teach me something, we might be able to pull something off," Nikki suggested.  
  
" Oh no, girls, no such thing is to be done," Snape said, shaking his head. " We have to leave now, they wanted us to come ealier and no more 'in love' business, Hermione," Severus continued, turning to Hermione when he made the last statement. Everyone turned to walk to the arrival hall, where they would be departing. They were going to take a boat across the lake for the fun of it. No one noticed the wink Hermione gave to her twin. The girls giggled and walked out of the Manor. Hermione would be back later that night. 


	14. 14

a/n: Sorry about the rating and all, forgot to change it when it got slightly vulgar. This is a mild chapter. Next one'll be less mild.  
  
Chapter 14  
  
The boat ride across the lake was a rather enjoyable one. Although they left at slightly past 3 in the afternoon, when the whether was still too hot, the boat ride seemed almost refreshing. Whether it was because Hermione had had a good time secretly sharing most of her acting tips with her twin or her father charmed the ferry to be air-conditioned every second of the day.   
  
The Snape's had arrived at the Malfoy Manor at approximately 4 o'clock for the lake was huge.  
  
As Hermione stepped up onto the jetti, she looked around. A gate divided the gardens from the jetti and past the gate, was the back of a stone house.The stone house was a very large house, the structure similar to that of her own home. The gardens were filled with rose bushes and other kinds of rare flowers. The patio, it was connected to the gardens by a stair, was a large platform on which stood a table and a few chairs. One would think that a normal family would have breakfast there every morning. The father reading the news papers and drinking his coffee, mother buttering her bread, children doing the same as the latter and then going off to play in the gardens. However good Hermione's imagination was, it was very difficult to think that the Malfoys' would have that kind of lifestyle. They were, afterall, supporters of Voldemort. The supporters of Voldemort didn't strike Hermione as the 'family type' of people.   
  
But then again, she was one of the 7 children of Severus Snape. Hogwart's most feared teacher after Umbridge. The Death Eater. The man whom no one would expect to have a deceased wife and 7 children. The man whom no one believe could curl his lips into a smile even. Hermione realised that anything was possible now. Who would've thought that her life would have been able to end in a matter of 3 months and then, unexpectedly, she turns out to be the daughter of a man whom every thinks is an 'old bat'.   
  
Things had changed. The 'war' was over now. After Voldemort's defeat which happened around Christmas when the 'Golden trio' were at Hogwarts for the holdidays, Hermione noticed, Harry could live freely and date anyone he wanted without having to worry about Voldemort killing them. Ron could do the same. Everyone had changed, so did she. Not so bookworm-ish anymore with a four-year-old to take care of and all. Maybe ALMOST everyone had changed, the Slytherins, they hadn't changed. Not really anyway. They were all so full of spite. Take Draco Malfoy, for example, he still called Hermione a Mudblood. He still smirked and sneered but then again, maybe he had his reasons. Everyone deserved a second chance. Everyone.  
  
" Hermione!" Narcissa Malfoy exclaimed, she ran over to embrace Hermione in a very 'feminine' manner. They were on the patio now and Lucius, Narcissa Malfoy, Zacharias and Lisel were welcoming them. " I'm so sorry I didn't talk to you yesterday, everything was so rushed and you know," Mrs. Malfoy continued, looking at Hermione. " It's quite alright, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione smiled politely. " Oh, darling, call me Mo-," Narcissa was cut off by Severus Snape's vigorous shaking of head. He mouthed something like " she doesn't know yet". " Call me Narcissa!" Mrs. Malfoy covered up quickly.   
  
A look of relief passed Severus Snape's features. If his daughter knew about this 'secret' she was sure to flip. Without a doubt. He knew he had to deal with it eventually but it was too early in the day to deal with it. Maybe at night, when everyone is going to turn in, he'd tell her. She'd then be forced to go straight to bed and he wouldn't have to deal with her whinning and complaints until the next morning. By then, she would've cooled down a bit.   
  
" Alright, Narcissa, then," Hermione said, hesitantly. Then, the Zambini's arrived by broom, Mrs. Zambini on Mr. Zambini's broom and their 13 year old daughter, Blythe, on Blaise's broom. Something was going on and Hermione knew it. They were hiding something from her. It was obvious. Too obvious. " Blaise!" Hermione heard Nikki exclaim with glee. She ran over to hug him. He hugged her back. ' Whoopee,' Hermione thought sarcastically.   
  
" Since we're all here, shall we go in for tea? " Narcissa Malfoy asked everyone, grinning. She received nods in return. Hermione was rather hungry. The rolling and the laughter took up quite a lot of energy but it was worth it. She smiled remembering that incident as they walked into the stone manor.   
  
The manor was large, the same size as the Snape's to be exact but the furniture wasn't as ancient as the Snape's furniture. It was known that the Snape's had been around slightly longer than the Malfoys. Hermione had hardly expected their home to be 'home-y', she had expected a gothic-styled house, where blood curling screams from the dungeons could be heard throughout the whole house. Where all artefacts were fatal to everyone but the owners.   
  
Oh how wrong she was, it was a pleasant home, child-safe and all. Hermione was very amused. They stepped through glass doors which seperated the patio from the living room. The Malfoys must have had their house renovated. Must have. Some furniture were ancient and some were very new, like those you bought at 'Ikea'.   
  
All the guests, meaning the Snape's and the Zambini's, settled down on the many sofas in the living room. The fire place was lit and burning a small flame, Hermione noticed it wasn't giving off heat, not at all. She sat next to the fire place on one of the many white coloured sofa's. Severus sat next to Artos, Medraut next to Lleu, Eli next to Maddox who had just came in, Eli and Blythe sat next to each other. Maddox, whose Nanny had sent in a while ago, was sitting on Lisel's lap, Lisel was sitting next to Zacharias. Nicola sat next to Blaise. Mr. Malfoy next to Mrs. Malfoy. Mr. Zambini sat next to Mrs. Zambini, leaving Hermione with an empty space next to her.   
  
" Now, where is that boy?!" Narcissa Malfoy let out an exasperated cry.   
  
" Which boy, Mother?" came a drawling voice. Everyone turned towards the oak doors, there stood Draco Malfoy, leaning against the side of the door. His hands were in his muggle jean pockets and he wore an oversized t-shirt, his hair fell loosely down his forhead. Surprisingly, he looked like any other muggle teenager.  
  
" Ah, Draco, how nice of you to join us," Lucius Malfoy finally spoke up. " Please, please, take a seat," he continued, looking around, he stopped looking when he saw an empty space next to Hermione. " Over there," he said, pointing to the empty seat. Hermione could tell this was all arranged. Obviously.  
  
Draco scowled but went to take a seat next to Hermione. " Mudblood," he whispered into her ear, before sitting down. Hermione could feel her temper rising but whispered back to him," Asshole", causing Malfoy to chuckle.   
  
Tea passed rather quickly, Hermione and Malfoy whispering insults to each other and all. It was all in all, quite amusing.   
  
Draco was walking with his guests, the teenagers, meaning the twins, Blaise and Blythe to their assigned guestrooms, which were in the same wing as Draco's living quarters. Everyone, except Hermione, had been in their house dozens of times and new their way around. They were like part of the family.   
  
Draco was walking next to Hermione. Blythe was walking in front of her brother and Nicola. Hermione was looking around the hallway, paintings and sculptures and all. Then suddenly, there was this slobbering sound. Then a moan came. Hermione looked forward and was disgusted at the sight. Her twin and Blaise were snogging!  
  
'Yuck,' Hermione thought as she turned to Draco and made a disgusted face. Just as she made the face, he did the same. They laughed. It was awkward. Who would've thought two enemies would be able to laugh together, not at each other. Together, they walked past the snogging couple and into Hermione's room for the next two days.  
  
" That's something I don't ever want to see again," Hermione told him, trying to make conversation.  
  
" Same here," Draco simply told her. " Well, here's your room, mine's just on the other side of the hall," he said, before turning and leaving.  
  
Hermione shrugged and plopped herself onto the king-sized bed. This was going to be a very awkward visit. She knew it. Stripping, she walked into the bath room to take a shower. 


	15. 15

a/n: haha, don't worry jtangel, the baby dragon is on her way!  
  
Viv: Well, in this fic, Krum turns out to be a downright git. ( I'm sorry ) and of course there's going to be Hermione and Draco moments, this is a Hermione/Draco   
  
fic isn't it?  
  
Chapter 15   
  
Exiting the shower in her bathrobe, she walked over to her trunk which had already been in the room when she arrived. House-elves, she guessed. Still drying her hair with a towel, she kneeled down beside her trunk and opened it. Hermione carefully took out the broom and placed it in the closet, just incase. It wouldn't do to have someone walk into her room and find out about the broom. She would be asked questions regarding why and she'd have to tell them everything. She shuddered. No, letting someone find out about her past was absolutely a 'no-no'.   
  
Hermione pulled out a pair of khaki coloured shorts, the cuts bruises on her legs had cleared up, so she was able to expose her legs. She was, however, never able to expose her back. It revealed too much of her past. Too much. Even looking at it made her tear. They were memories, vital memories. She pulled out a black long-sleeved shirt. It would be a while before dinner, seeing as they had just finished with tea and it was already half past 5.   
  
As the sixteen year old put her things away into their respective place, she heard loud laughter coming from the other room. Hermione, not wanting to be alone, went to check it out. She stepped bare-footed into the hallway. The grey stoned ground was cold. So cold, it hurt. Hermione walked over to the other side of the hallway, to where she heard the laughter coming from. She looked to her right, Nikki and Blaise were no longer snogging. ' Thank goodness,' Hermione thought.   
  
The laughter was coming from behind the doors of Draco Malfoy's room. It suddenly felt very cold. Hermione stood directly outside his room. Her enemies room. How awkward this was. The laughter came again. Hermione could tell that there were at least 5 people in that room. Oh, how she wanted to burst into that room and join in the fun. The fun she never really had. Something she was never allowed to have until now. Now that Severus Snape was her father, she felt safer. Hermione, the daughter of an ex-Death Eater. Hermione smiled. She loved the sound of it. She was the offspring of an ex-Death Eater. Her father even had the dark mark and all. Hermione chuckled at herself, she was definately going insane.  
  
She stood outside Draco Malfoy's room, listening to the howls of laughter emitting from it. She was jealous. Remebering the days when Harry and Ron were still close friends, her eyes teared slightly. Hermione hastily wiped them away and sniffed. Even as part of the 'Golden trio', she never had as much fun as those people in her enemies room. Heck, she didn't even think Malfoy could laugh humorously.   
  
Taking a deep breath, she knocked on his door. She heard the laughter die down as a male voice said, " Come in". Hermione opened the door slowly and popped her head in. In the room was Nikki, Blaise, Blythe, Draco and three unidentified male guests. They were all staring back at her. " Yes, Mudblood?" Draco asked casually. His tone of voice, somehow made her feel, unwanted. " Nevermind," Hermione said quickly, withdrawing her head and running back to her room. It was a huge mistake to walk on the enemies ground.   
  
Just as Hermione was about to close the door to the room, a hand came, preventing her from shutting the door. Hermione let out a cry of surprise. Mr. Granger always did that. She put a hand to her heart, as if trying to calm it down. Then, from behind the door, came a certain Draco Malfoy.   
  
" Look, do you want to join us in my room, Mudblood?" he asked, uneasily. Hermione was shocked. She didn't expect him to ask. She expected him to make fun of her for 'trying to fit in'.   
  
" Erm, sure," she replied, just as uneasily. The word ' Mudblood' ran through her mind, he knew that she wasn't one, why did he still use it?  
  
" Malfoy? Why do you still call me a Mudblood?" she asked quitely. Hermione cringed and prepared for a snigger and a long hurl of insults. It never came.   
  
" Well, what else would I call you?" he replied after a moment of thought. " I can't call you Snape, hell there are too many around, can't call you Fayre, you don't use it and I can't call you Hermione because it'll be just too damn weird," he said. " So, I call you Mudblood," Malfoy continued.  
  
" You know you can be such a prick at times, other times, you're an insufferable prat, don't you think there aren't any other Malfoy's around," Hermione stated. He could be just a git at times. It was awkward enough she was conversing with the enemy but talking about what to call him was simply weird.  
  
" Draco, then, call me Draco," he simply stated. The awkwardness was over. Hermione sighed.   
  
" Right, Draco, do you have any idea how foul the name Mudblood is?" she asked him.  
  
" Fine, I'll call you Muddy, then, how's that?" he replied, smirking.  
  
" How about, Mia, since you obviously have a problem pronouncing the name 'Hermione'," she pushed him. It wasn't nice having the name ' Mudblood' for a nickname, was it?   
  
Draco visibly cringed. " I do not have a problem pronouncing your name, Hermione. I absolutely refuse to call you 'Mia', it's too American," he said.   
  
" Now you have a problem with Americans?" she asked, incredulously.  
  
" No, no, just America, bad memories," he stated simply.   
  
" Alright, so call me Hermione," she simply said. Then she smirked. He'd have no other option than to call her that. He was caught in a dead end.   
  
" Hermione then, I'd still rather call you Mudblood," he said, after thinking.   
  
" No," came Hermione's reply. The word 'Mudblood' held far too many unwanted memories. Draco sighed.   
  
" Shall we move to my room then?" he asked. He was rather polite, therefore, acting very weird. Something was most definitely up.  
  
They two teens walked in silence to Draco's living quarters. Pushing the door open, Draco allowed Hermione into his territory. Everyone whom Hermione saw a moment ago was there and the three unidentified male guests turned out to be Draco's friends who used to attend Durmstrang. Their families moved to England after the death of the Dark Lord. The three boys, Thomas, Daniel and Rupert were going to start attending Hogwarts for their 7th and last year. Cute boys, they were, Hermione noticed.   
  
" Hi Hermione," her twin said as they entered the room. Hermione just smiled back. Draco's living quarters was, without a doubt, enormous. He had a wooden floor made out of rose wood, a king-sized bed with dark green sheets and at the side of his room, parked at a corner, laid music equiptment. Everything a band needed was there, from the instruments to the amps. Everything. One of the boys was sitting at the drums, playing with them very softly.  
  
" Do you play?" Hermione asked Draco.   
  
" Sometimes," he replied, pulling out a remote control from his desk drawer.   
  
" All of them?" she asked again, very amused.  
  
" Yes, all of them, Hermione," he said, making an effort to say her name. He clicked on the remote and suddenly, a wall disappeared and revealed a stereo system. Hermione gasped. His sound system was the best one in the market, not to mention the most expensive.   
  
" Wow," she whispered. " Do you have any CDs?" she continued.  
  
" Yes but not many," he said, pointing to where a CD rack stood. He was right, it wasn't very many. She went to take a look at his CDs. Through his CDs, it was obvious that he didn't know much about muggle music.   
  
" Hmm...," she said as she skimmed through his CDs. There were 30 odd CDs on his rack. Nothing compared to Hermione's collection. She smirked and closed her eyes.   
  
The other occupants looked at Hermione as if she was insane. Closing her eyes and chanting. Sheesh. All of a sudden, the sound of zooming could be heard coming from the hallway. Draco opened the door to see what was happening. Before he could pop his head out to see, uncountable numbers of CDs flew right past him into his room. They landed themselves on the floor with 'smacks'. Hermione smirked again, after opening her eyes to find her whole collection in Draco's room. Just where she wanted them. 


	16. 16

a/n: Sorry about the mistake, its Zabini. Thanks Prozac Bunny. This is a super mild chapter. I promise next one'll be better!!!   
  
Oh and you'll just have to be patient for 'the Draco and Hermione action'.  
  
Chapter 16  
  
As the occupants of the room skimmed through her CD collect with awe, she sat down at the electrical piano. She had played the piano from young but stopped when her mother died. A talented musician she was, no one noticed though. She never sang, fearing criticism. She only played in front of her teacher, Mrs. Granger and Leigha, never played in front of anyone else besides them.  
  
Nicola saw her sitting at the piano, fingering notes. " Do you know how to play, Hermione?" she asked, sitting on the floor looking through her CDs.  
  
" Well, only a little bit," she replied, unsure of what to say. She hoped they didn't ask her to play.  
  
" Let's hear it then," Draco said, looking through her CDs as well, amused.   
  
" N-no, thanks, I'm not very good," Hermione stuttered slightly. She was slightly nervous.   
  
" Hm...the Gryffindor scared?" he said mockingly. He tutted and Hermione could feel her blood boil. He was seriously getting on her nerves. She growled.  
  
" I don't play the electrical," she stated quite simply. ' Hah, got you there,' she thought to herself. With a flick of Draco's wand, a Grand piano appeared in the middle of the room.   
  
" You're not allowed to use magic out of school," Hermione said to him, accusingly.  
  
" You are in my house," he said back, smirking. " The Ministry can't trace and they call you the smartest witch of our time," he said, shaking his head as if sympathetically. Hermione glared at him. That prat.  
  
" Did you know we can use magic in our house too, 'Mione?" Nicola quickly asked, sensing that a fight might break out.   
  
" I'm afraid you left that bit of information out," Hermione told her sister and smiled. Inside, she was fuming. All that running around for nothing. Everything fitted together, no wonder she didn't get an owl from the Ministry. She went to sit down at the piano and started to play a piece. It was, a thousand miles, by Michelle Branch. She was slightly rusty at first but she picked up after a while.  
  
Finally, she finished and looked up. " Not bad," Draco stated. Oh, how insufferable he was.   
  
" You try," Hermione said, smirking. Draco Malfoy went and plopped himself next to her on the seat and started playing. It was, My Immortal, by Evanesence. Amazing was his playing. Much better than Hermione's but then again, he could practice whenever he wanted to, unlike Hermione.  
  
" You're good," Hermione stated truthfully.  
  
" Thank you," he smiled. He actually smiled. A genuine one. Hermione smiled back.   
  
" So, baby, what did you do before coming?" Blaise asked his girlfriend, Nikki, who was in his arms.  
  
" Oh! Hermione, tell them what you did! It was hilarious!" Nicola exclaimed, excited. Hermione laughed.   
  
" Well..." she started. Hermione shared about the little thing she did that afternoon, scaring her brothers and father out of their wits. The teens laughed and for once, Hermione actually felt part of the crowd.  
  
They continued talking and talking until a house-elf interrupted them," Master Malfoy, Master is wanting you and guests for dinner now,". The Durmstrang boys left via chimney and the rest walked down for dinner. 


	17. 17

a/n: Viv: haha thanks, I really need your help. I need piano pieces so I can replace that 'pop crap' with romantic pieces. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!  
  
Ill have to replace that chapter...  
  
Oh and Leigha's coming soon. Remember Hermione is going to get her on this night. Just wait, wait.  
  
Prozac Bunny: Those are two of my many favourite songs as well!!! But'll I'll have to change it to more suitable pieces. Sorry.  
  
Chapter 17  
  
Dinner was in the Dinning hall. The adult Zabini's, Severus, Artos, Medraut, Eli, Lleu, Mr. Malfoy, Mrs. Malfoy, Lisel and Zacharias were there already. Of course, Maddox was there in his special high chair, sitting between his father and mother. Blythe, Blaise, Nikki, Draco and Hermione entered the hall, wearing their every day clothes and immediately blushed. Well, the girls did. The boys didn't think anything was wrong at all. The people in the Dinning hall were wearing formal wear, dresses and robes and all.  
  
" Oops," Nikki whispered to Hermione and Blythe. They girls giggled. The boy looked at them as if they were mental but went to sit down anyway. Nikki sat between Blythe and Hermione. Draco sat across Hermione and next to Blaise who sat across Nikki. They were all seated at the end of the table, the furthest away from Lucius Malfoy who sat at the head.  
  
The dinner started with an appetiser, salad. Hermione made a face as she put some of it into her mouth. ' Yuck,' Hermione thought. She hated the tomatos. ' Why is it that at every dinner, there has to be salad with tomatos?' she thought to herself. ' Why can't they just serve breadsticks?' she continued thinking to herself. She ate half of the salad and decided she couldn't carry on but she had to, it was impolite if she didn't.  
  
Hermione looked, helplessly, across the table, where Draco sat. He was playing with his salad, a disgusted look on his face. Then, he looked at her too. He smiled knowingly at her, he took out his napkin, looked around cautiously and grabbed some of his salad with his hand. Hermione watched, not knowing what he was about to do next.   
  
She looked around, Nikki was talking to Blythe and everyone else was talking to each other. He saw Draco stuff his first hand of salad into his cloth napkin before looking around to see if anyone saw him. Hermione watched, shocked and amused at the same time. He was well aware that she was watching him very closely but when no one else was looking, he did it again. Hermione giggled very softly and he smiled, his smile told her she could do the same thing if she wanted.  
  
She nodded at him and then, looked around to see if anyone was looking. When no one was looking, she grabbed a hand full of salad and chucked it into her cloth napkin, the servants were going to have a tough time cleaning the stains. They both did it together, smiling each time after getting rid of each handful of the disgusting salad.   
  
Finally, they finished getting rid of the salad.  
  
The second mission was being planned by Draco. Mission: Get napkins out of Dinning hall, without being noticed.  
  
Draco caught Hermione's attention first, then, he made jerking movements with his head towards the door. Hermione looked at him with a questioning look, not knowing what he was signalling. Then he mouthed something like ," out". Hermione nodded her head, she knew what he wanted her to do. She turned to Nicola, telling her that she needed to use the bathroom but she didn't think Nikki heard her, she was talking with her boyfriend and all.  
  
Hermione stood up, holding her bundled salad behind her back. Draco stood up together with her, catching Lucius Malfoy's attention.   
  
Lucius cleared his throat. " Where are the both of you going?" he called out from the other end of the table.  
  
" Hermione over here needed to use the loo, Father, I was just about to show her where it was," Draco replied, smoothly.   
  
" Ah, get along with your business then," the man of the house said, smiling. They teenagers left in a hurry, their stained napkins still hidden.   
  
Of course, the thing with the loo was infact a lie. They headed the other direction, to the dark corridor just before the kitchens. When they were far away from the Dinning hall, the stopped walking just before a window. They're only source of light was the moon. Opening the window, Draco took Hermione's salad filled napkin and threw it out, together with his. Hermione burst into laughter.  
  
" Do you do that often?" she asked the tall blond.   
  
" Well, yes, I hate salad," he said, looking down at her. He observed her, her eyes, her nose, her mouth, everything. To him, she was perfect. There was something in her eyes though, something was bothering her. She kept it quite well though but there was something, he knew. After all those years of reading people, still no one was able to read him.   
  
" Same here, it's disgusting," she stated, he looked at his face, his features. His grey-blue eyes. His pale lips. He was beautiful. There was silence.   
  
" Well, I think we should get back now," he said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.  
  
" Er, yes, I suppose we should," she said quickly. ' I told you this stay was going to be awkward,' she thought to herself while walking with him towards the hall. 


	18. 18

a/n: I thank all of you! Just seeing the number of reviews increasing, its really inspiring. I hate salad as much as Draco and Hermione. laughs . Remember what I said in the first chapter, Hermione is allergic to seafood and the like.  
  
Chapter 18  
  
Draco and Hermione walked back to the Dinning hall. When they entered, everyone in the hall was looking at them, as if they knew something. 'Something is going on, something is definately going on,' she thought as she took her seat across from Draco. She looked at what was placed in front of her. It was pasta. Seafood pasta to be exact. Hermione was allergic to seafood, so she decided to not eat it. If anyone asked her why, she would tell them the truth.   
  
Draco was about to ask her why but someone called his name. " Draco!" it was Lucius. Then, Lucius started talking to him from the other end of the table in gibberish. Everyone, other than Hermione, seemed to understand what he was talking about. Draco answered him back in gibberish. Snape, then, interrupted in gibberish. Maddox was also listening, understanding bits of it. Hermione listened closely, it seemed like the language they were speaking in was...Latin. Wasn't it a dead language?  
  
The people at the table started a very heated conversation. ' Dead language my arse,' Hermione thought, angrily. The people seemed to speak the darn language as if they were speaking English. ' How rude!' Hermione thought as they carried on, leaving her out of the conversation. It wasn't everyday you found out you had a new family and you have to adjust to everything and now, they were speaking Latin. She felt left out, deprived of her childhood, all of a sudden. She wasn't like Nicola, who spent her whole childhood with an amazing father and 5 other brothers and sisters. She stomach growled, she hadn't eaten anything that night, save some very disgusting salad.  
  
Hermione picked up her fork and began stabbing the pasta, then puting some in her mouth. It was actually quite good. She carried on, stabbing and putting in her mouth. It went something like this : Prawn. Stab. Put in mouth. Swallow. Oyster. Stab. Put in mouth. Swallow. Fish. Stab. Put in mouth. Swallow.   
  
She was oblivious to the fact that the 'rude' people were now watching here, very amused.   
  
Her stomach made a funny noise. Only then did it occur to her that she'd eaten seafood. She looked up to face Draco. He was looking at her as if she'd grown another head. The funny noise came again and she felt something climbing up her stomach. Her face turned slightly greenish. Quickly, sh covered her mouth with her hand and ran out of the hall. Her father, brothers and Draco were going to stand up and run after her but Nicola quickly stood up, saying " stay," to all of them and ran after her sister towards the direction of the washroom.  
  
Nikki burst into the washroom, to see Hermione kneeling in front of the toilet bowl, mouth terribly dirty. Just when Nicola was going to say something, Hermione leaned into the toilet bowl and vomited. " What's happening?!" Nicola exclaimed, worried. " I'm allergic to seafood, that's all," Hermione replied, once she'd finish emtying the contents in her stomach.   
  
" Oh,"   
  
" Yeah,"  
  
" Then why in the world did you eat it?!"  
  
" I forgot it was seafood," Hermione replied, simply.   
  
" Ah..." was all Nicola said. Then, her lips curved into a smile. " I've got a brilliant beyond brilliant idea!" she exclaimed and whispered into Hermione's ear but just then, Draco and Blaise popped in. They were sent by the adults so check on them, since they were taking so long.  
  
" You girls alright?" Blaise started. The girls turned around to see them staring back at them, slightly amused. " Well..." Hermione comtemplated and started whispering into Nicola's ear. They both squealed with delight and pulled the boys into the loo. They carried on their discussion in hushed tones.   
  
A few minutes passed and there was a knock on the door. Draco opened the door and stuck his head out, to meet a fiery eyed, Artos.   
  
" What do you think you are doing with my sisters in the loo?!" he exclaimed, quite angry.   
  
" Oh, Artos, we're fine, just helping Hermione with an accident, that's all," Nicola stuck her head out, under Draco's. She smiled innocently at him. The plan was starting.  
  
" Oh, what kind of accident? Is she alright? What happened?" Artos asked, hearing Hermione had an accident.   
  
" Artos, I'm perfectly fine," Hermione said, walking out. Cleaning her hands with a towel.   
  
" Are you sure?" he said again.  
  
" Yes," she told him and walked towards the hall again. The rest followed closely behind. Draco, Blaise and Nicola had mecheivious smiles planted on their faces.  
  
As Hermione entered the hall, her father asked, " Hermione, dear, are you alright?", concern evident.   
  
" Oh, yes, Father, perfect," she smiled and sat down. The rest went back to their place and sat down. For the rest of the dinner, things went smoothly, the four of them at the end of the table grinning like idiots.  
  
Desert was being served, Sticky-date pudding it was. One of Draco's favourite deserts. Hermione had never tried it before though. There was a cream and caramel sauce placed in front of Draco and Hermione. " What do we do with this?" she asked Draco.   
  
" Well, you put the cream on first and if you want, you put the caramel on it," Draco told her, putting a whole lot of caramel sauce on his pudding. Hermione followed what he did and took a bite out of it. It was horribly sweet.   
  
" Draco! This is disgustingly sweet! How can you take it?!" she exclaimed, softly. He laughed.   
  
" What are you laughing at?" she asked, frowning.  
  
" I have three puddings, you have one," he stated, trying to stop laughing. Hermione went something like ' humph' and continued eating with much difficulty.   
  
Nicola nudged her, all of a sudden, the plan was going to start. Hermione caught Draco's attention and winked at him. He nudged Blaise in the ribs. The four looked at each other with straight faces and nodded.   
  
The four of them reached for the glasses of wine which had been laid in front of each of them and took a sip of it. But before Hermione could take a sip of hers, Nikki exclaimed, " HERMIONE! NO! IT'S BAD FOR THE BABY!", so loud everyone in the hall could hear. The plan was in action. They could here some people at the other end of the table spit out their wine.  
  
" What?!" Draco and Blaise exclaimed together, acting very shocked.  
  
" Hermione, alchohal should not be consumed when pregnant!" she said loudly but it was softer than the last time.  
  
" NICOLA SNAPE! I told you because I trusted you and now you let the whole world know! " Hermione stood up, then acted like she was going to faint.  
  
" Don't shout at me! You know you can't take stress when you're pregnant! You're going to faint again!" she exclaimed, standing up again.  
  
" WHAT'S GOING ON?!" came Severus Snape's voice from the other end of the table. The two girls remained quiet.   
  
" I WANT TO KNOW AND I WANT TO KNOW THIS INSTANT!" he demanded, his face red with anger. The plan was working alright. Truth be told, Hermione and Nicola were beginning to regret this plan but they had to go through with it. Everything was planned.  
  
" Well, Daddy, Hermione is pr-preg-nant," Nikki told her father.  
  
" I know she's pregnant, HOW?" he exclaimed, while the rest of the table stared at the two girls, eyes wide with shock.  
  
" Well, Professor, it might have been at the er...party on the last night of the school term," Draco stood up.  
  
" Party?! What party?!" he exclaimed.   
  
" Yeah! What party? How come I wasn't invited?" Blythe exclaimed, looking at her brother.  
  
" It was a private party and it was for 6th years and up," Blaise explained.  
  
" Well, it must have been at that party, you see there was alchohal and I got rather carried away and...," Hermione decided not to continue.  
  
" Who is the father?" all her brothers asked, fire boiling in their eyes.   
  
" That, I am," Draco said, putting his arm protectively around Hermione. Hermione turned to Draco and their lips locked. Throughout all this, they're eyes never closed. He stared into her honey brown ones and she in his blue-grey ones, getting lost in them. It wasn't supposed to be happening this way. How could this plan be so out of control?  
  
Electricity passed through their bodies and they refused to stop. It felt so right. She felt so full. So safe, as if she was in her favourite chair. It was bliss. Pure bliss. This mere plan had suddenly turned into something moe. They both carried on, fearing that after this kiss, neither would dare to look at each other without awkwardness once again. Draco and Hermione got closer, he wrapped his arms around her waist and her arms were wrapped around his neck. They never broke eye contact and for the first time, Hermione could see who Draco actually was. He was a lost soul and Hermione understood. For the whole of his life, his parents were under the Imperious curse, not knowing how to control themselves and now, when they are finally set free, they have no idea about the past. They only have the memories of good times with Draco, nothing other than that. His parents' hardly knew him and he hardly knew them any more. Such a confusing hell he lived in.  
  
Hermione only kissed him harder. He kissed back harder, his body suddenly no longer empty. Ecstasy. Pure ecstasy. They both fought the urge to close their eyes for they feared by doing that, everything would end. Draco could feel her reading him, something no one had done before, and he let her. Just like she let him, he saw almost everything, a past filled with pain and horror. He would ask her about it but not now. Not today. Not yet.  
  
Nicola smiled at Blaise, they're plan of getting Draco and Hermione together had worked. It was brilliant. A plan in a plan. She walked over to his side of the table and he snaked his arms around his waist. Her hands snaked her way up to his hair. Smiling at each other, they're lips connected.  
  
Severus Snape was at the other end of the table, it was a good thing that Hermione and Draco finally got together but she didn't know one thing.   
  
Lisel stared at them, how amazing it was, her two little sisters falling in love and all. She smiled and turned to Zacharias, who was already looking at her. They kissed. Maddox was sitting in his high chair, covering his eyes with his tiny hands. They laughed when they broke apart.  
  
The brothers of the twins looked at them, they made it clear to Blaise that if he ever hurt Nicola, they'd kill him and he'd respected him for that. It was time for them to get clear with Draco now.   
  
Hermione and Draco finally broke apart, reluctantly. They smiled. What they feared, didn't come true. The feeling still lingered. The fullness, the ecstasy. Who would've guessed, two enemies in love?  
  
But then again, miracles happen. 


	19. 19

a/n: Hey, the reason I update ever so frequently is because its my holidays here. Its only for a month though and its going to end really soon, on the 27th of June.   
  
I won't be able to post new chapters really quickly anymore and I wont be writting from the 1st to the 6th of July, you see, IM GOING TO SYDNEY DURING SCHOOL  
  
TERM! whohoo! haha.   
  
Chapter 19  
  
Everyone made their way to the living room after desert for some discussion they refused to let Hermione know about. It was irritating, really. They refused to let her know what they were discussing in Latin before. As soon as everyone was seated. Lucius and Severus stood up. Hermione watched carefully, studying their movements. They both were clearly nervous about something.   
  
" Erm, Father, Mr. Malfoy? What's going on?" asked Hermione who was sitting next to Draco, who shifted unconfortably in his seat.  
  
" Well, you see, erm, when you were born, Lucius and I came to an agreement, that, erm, you and Draco would get married," Snape said, unsure of what Hermione's reaction would be.  
  
" WHAT?!" she exclaimed, startling everyone. " Everyone knows about this?!" she asked, eyes fiery.  
  
" Yes," her father replied. Hermione started yelling in french, walking back and forth. Severus looked at her confused, he didn't know his daughter could speak french.  
  
She suddenly stopped. " I need to think," she said before running out of the living room, towards her room.   
  
Hermione ran, she remembered what her father had told her, she was glad to be with Draco at first but then one thing bugged her, what about Leigha? Her Little Dragon? How would they react to her? How? How? How?  
  
She knew that arranged marriages were common with pureblood familys but never had she though that she would be part of such an arrangement. Being forced to marry Draco wasn't a bad thing, although it was quite fast but what about Leigha? How would he take the news?  
  
Hermione pushed the door to the room open and she decided to go and pick her Dragon up, she needed to think after all and the peacefulness of the night would grant her that. She opened the closet door and brought out the broom. Hermione slipped on a thick jacket for she knew the nights were cold. She opened the door leading to the balcony and hopped onto the ageing broom, flying off into the moonlight.   
  
The night was indeed very cold, especially over the lake. From a distance, she could see the manor and as she went closer she could see the window to her room open, Leigha was such a smart one. Hermione was just about to land when she decided that the flight had been to short, she doubled back and flew above the Forbidden Forest. It was even moe exhilirating like this.   
  
" In the dark night  
  
The moon being the only source of light  
  
She dwelled in peace  
  
Never wanting to face the day," Hermione whispered to herself, as she flew above the tall trees. She always did this, composed poetry whenever she was alone. It calmed her, to know that she had time for herself, that she hadn't gone insane. All her feelings were related to songs and poems were filled by them. She never wrote them down though, each poem was meant for that moment and that moment alone.   
  
The poem was true, right then, she didn't want to face the day. She was afraid. If only she dared to tell them about Leigha, everything would be perfect, save her horrid past. ' Gryffindor courage, my ass,' she thought to herself while flying over the lake now. Feeling the cool wind brushing her hair from her face, calmed her tensed nerves.   
  
She flew quickly past the lake and to the forest, hoping her troubles were too slowly to catch up but in vain. The circled the forest and saw a glimpse of something, a structure of some sort. She flew closer, curious to know what kind of stucture it was. Hermione was now between the trees, still on her broom. It was a house!  
  
A cottage of some sort, it was clearly abandoned but still in good condition. It was fairly small, maybe thousand odd square feet, she wasn't sure. Hermione was eager to land and explore the grounds but she really had to get Leigha before anyone found out she was gone. It had been almost an hour already.   
  
She flew off to the Snape Manor, not surprised to see the windows still open. Hermione flew through them and landed softly on her floor. Nothing was different. It was just as she left it that afternoon. It surprised Hermione to see that a four-year-old would actually listen to instructions but then again, she was Leigha.   
  
Carefully, Hermione picked her up but the sudden movement made Leigha awake. " Myknee? Are we going now?" the young girl asked, very tired. " Yes, hold on tight," Hermione whispered to Leigha as she put her on the hovering broom. Swinging her leg over, they flew out of the window. 


End file.
